Polarean Imaging expands Xenon MRI into cardiopulmonary drug development

Polarean announced the expansion of its Xenon MRI platform into cardiopulmonary pharma-sponsored drug development through a multi-center U.S. study in PH-ILD. Funded by a leading cardiopulmonary pharmaceutical company, the researcher-led study will use Xenon MRI-derived biomarkers to evaluate an inhaled therapy designed to address both pulmonary vascular dysfunction and interstitial lung disease. Polarean is working in collaboration with VIDA Diagnostics, providing centralized imaging operations, site orchestration, and advanced Xenon MRI biomarker analysis. The study is designed to capture both acute and chronic treatment effects using Xenon MRI to quantify regional changes in lung ventilation, gas diffusion across the interstitial membrane, pulmonary capillary blood volume, and microvascular hemodynamics. By pairing an inhaled therapy with an inhaled imaging signaling agent, these measurements provide direct insight into cardiopulmonary physiology at the site where the drug is delivered. Imaging the smallest and most critical functional units of oxygen transfer to the blood, the alveoli and surrounding pulmonary capillaries, enables direct assessment of a region that has historically remained a “silent zone” and is not visible with conventional imaging, pulmonary function testing, or hemodynamic measurements alone.