Measuring Long-Lived ^{13}C-Singlet State Lifetimes at Natural Abundance

Long-lived singlet states hold the potential to drastically extend the lifetime of hyperpolarization in molecular tracers for in-vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Such long lived hyperpolarization can be used for elucidation of fundamental metabolic pathways, early diagnosis, and optimization of clinical tests for new medication. All previous measurements of 13C singlet state lifetimes rely on costly and time consuming syntheses of 13C labeled compounds. Here we show that it is possible to determine 13C singlet state lifetimes by detecting the naturally abundant doubly-labeled species. This approach allows for rapid and low cost screening of potential molecular biomarkers bearing long-lived singlet states.