An oxygen-consuming phantom simulating perfused tissue to explore oxygen dynamics and F-19 MRI oximetry

This study presents a reproducible phantom which mimics oxygen-consuming tissue and can be used for the validation of F-19 MRI oximetry. The phantom consists of a haemodialysis filter of which the outer compartment is filled with a gelatin matrix containing viable yeast cells. Perfluorocarbon emulsions can be added to the gelatin matrix to simulate sequestered perfluorocarbons. A blood-substituting perfluorocarbon fluid is pumped through the lumen of the fibres in the filter. F-19 relaxometry MRI is performed with a fast 2D Look-Locker imaging sequence on a clinical 3T scanner. Acute and perfusion-related hypoxia were simulated and imaged spatially and temporally using the phantom. The presented experimental setup can be used to simulate oxygen consumption by somatic cells in vivo and for validating computational biophysical models of hypoxia, as measured with F-19 MRI oximetry