{
  "abstract": "Objectives: A characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is mucus hypersecretion. In this proof-of-concept study, we aimed to characterize airway mucus using a quantitative ultrashort echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence in a controlled in vitro synthetic mucus model to establish a technical foundation for future in vivo studies.\n\nMaterials and methods: UTE double-echo steady-state (UTE-DESS) was performed to acquire the signal from free induction decay-like signal and spin/stimulated echo-like signal echoes; quantitative MRI parameters (T1, T2, and diffusivity) were estimated. Synthetic mucus phantoms were prepared using mucin (0.20%, 0.50%, and 1.0%) mixed with xanthan gum (0.10%, 0.25%, and 0.50%) to replicate the viscoelastic properties of human laryngeal mucus, and samples were embedded in 1% agar for imaging.\n\nResults: The mucus phantoms with varying concentrations of mucin and xanthan exhibited visual differences in color and opacity. Estimated T1 values were 2.23 ± 0.16, 2.37 ± 0.20, and 2.09 ± 0.18 s (mean ± standard deviation) for the three tubes with relative mucus concentrations of 1, 2.5, and 5, respectively. Corresponding T2 values were 806.6 ± 105.6, 687.4 ± 78.0, and 475.0 ± 41.3 ms, while diffusivity values were 2.36 ± 0.14, 2.31 ± 0.18, and 2.33 ± 0.18 µm2/ms for the three tubes. Only the T2 relaxation times showed a significant linear correlation with mucus concentration (r = -0.9998, p = 0.0112).\n\nConclusion: UTE-DESS MRI could be feasible for characterizing airway mucus. T2 relaxation time showed a strong inverse correlation with increasing mucus concentration, indicating its sensitivity to mucus content.\n\nKey Points: Question Can a novel quantitative ultrashort echo time MRI sequence noninvasively characterize airway mucus properties and overcome conventional lung imaging limitations in muco-obstructive diseases?\n\nFindings In this controlled in vitro model, UTE-DESS MRI mapping demonstrated that T2 relaxation times alone showed a strong inverse correlation with increasing mucus concentrations.\n\nRelevance statement This exploratory proof-of-concept establishes a technical foundation for radiation-free, noninvasive T2 mapping to monitor and phenotype chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other mucoobstructive lung diseases in future in vivo studies.\n\nGraphical Abstract:",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany",
    "Department of Radiology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sam Sedaghat"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jin Il Park"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Eddie Fu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Misagh Piran"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ahmadreza Ghasemiesfe"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Youngkyoo Jung"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hyungseok Jang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3597-9525"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7nh10a6jexz4c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s41747-026-00842-8",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13710730/",
  "id": "7nh10a6jexz4c",
  "issns": [
    "2509-9280"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s41747-026-00842-8",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2741|Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223649883",
  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s41747-026-00842-8.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13710730",
  "pmid": "42932007",
  "published": "2026-10-26",
  "publisher": "Springer",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7nh10a6jexz4c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:38Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13710730",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s41747-026-00842-8"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2741|Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications",
      "subfield": "imaging"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Characterization of airway mucus using quantitative MRI: an in vitro proof-of-concept study",
  "title_text": "Characterization of airway mucus using quantitative MRI: an in vitro proof-of-concept study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:21:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7nh10a6jexz4c",
  "venue": "European Radiology Experimental",
  "versions": []
}