Impact of the antimetastatic drug Batimastat on tumor growth and PO2 measured by EPR oximetry in a murine mammary adenocarcinoma

Contribution of Harold M. Swartz to In Vivo EPR and EPR Dosimetry

In 2015, we are celebrating half a century of research in the application of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) as a biodosimetry tool to evaluate the dose received by irradiated people. During the EPR Biodose 2015 meeting, a special session was organized to acknowledge the pioneering contribution of Harold M. (Hal) Swartz in the field. The article summarizes his main contribution in physiology and medicine. Four emerging themes have been pursued continuously along his career since its beginning: (1) radiation biology; (2) oxygen and oxidation; (3) measuring physiology in vivo; and (4) application of these measurements in clinical medicine. The common feature among all these different subjects has been the use of magnetic resonance techniques, especially EPR. In this article, you will find an impressionist portrait of Hal Swartz with the description of the 'making of' this pioneer, a time-line perspective on his career with the creation of three National Institutes of Health-funded EPR centers, a topic-oriented perspective on his career with a description of his major contributions to Science, his role as a mentor and his influence on his academic children, his active role as founder of scientific societies and organizer of scientific meetings, and the well-deserved international recognition received so far.

Application of continuous-wave EPR spectral-spatial image reconstruction techniques for in vivo oxymetry: Comparison of projection reconstruction and constant-time modalities

In this study we report the application of continuous-wave (CW) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) constant-time spectral spatial imaging (CTSSI) for in vivo oxymetry. 2D and 3D SSI studies of a phantom and live mice were carried out using projection reconstruction (PR) and constant-time (CT) modalities using a CW-EPR spectrometer/imager operating at 300 MHz frequency. Distortion of line shape, which is inherent in the PR method, was minimized by the CTSSI modality. It was also found that CTSSI offers improved noise reduction, restores a smoother line shape, and gives high convergence of estimated values. Spatial resolution was also improved by CTSSI, although fundamental spectral line-width broadening was observed. Although additional corrections are required for accurate estimations of spectral line width, CTSSI was able to demonstrate distinct differences in oxygen tension between a tumor and the normal legs of a C3H mouse. The PR method, on the other hand, was unable to make such a distinction unequivocally with the triarylmethyl spin probes. CTSSI promises to be a more suitable method for quantitative in vivo oxymetric studies using radiofrequency EPR imaging (EPRI).