Magnetic resonance imaging of glycogen and other polysaccharides by magnetic coupling with water

A system for magnetic resonance imaging of polysaccharide molecules, comprising:

• a primary magnet configured to provide a magnetic field that is sufficiently homogeneous over an imaging volume;
• a magnetic gradient coil configured to generate a spatial encoding in the magnetic field;
• a radiofrequency coil configured to acquire one or more water proton signal intensity measurements at each of a plurality of voxels within the imaging volume, wherein said signal intensity measurements are acquired in each voxel at a one or more irradiation frequencies, said irradiation frequencies at lower parts-per-million (ppm) than a baseline frequency associated with free water protons;
• and
• a data processor configured to:
• generate, based on the water proton signal intensity measurements in each voxel, a water proton signal intensity map of the relayed Nuclear Overhauser Effect (rNOE) exchange process of aliphatic protons in the polysaccharide molecules to free water protons in the imaging volume;
• and
• generate, using a calibration of the water proton signal intensity measurements for said rNOE exchange process, a concentration map of the polysaccharide molecules in the imaging volume.