Dr Jimmy Ball

MSci, PhD

School of Medicine and Population Health

Research Associate in Spin Polarisation Physics

james.ball@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9142

Polaris

Full contact details

Dr Jimmy Ball
School of Medicine and Population Health
Polaris
18 Claremont Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2TA

Profile: I am a post-doc in the POLARIS imaging group, having completed my PhD in Physics under the supervision of Graham Norquay and Jim Wild in March 2024. I have a MSci in Physics from the University of Nottingham.

Research interests

My research focuses on advancing techniques to enhance hyperpolarised xenon-129 (HP-¹²⁹Xe) production via spin-exchange optical pumping. Large-scale HP-¹²⁹Xe gas MRI studies for investigating pulmonary conditions rely on the ability to rapidly produce HP-¹²⁹Xe gas with high nuclear polarisation. Using NMR, absorption spectroscopy and finite-element modelling, we are able to probe the gas dynamics and spin-transfer processes within our system. These insights are used to optimise the geometry and operational parameters (temperature, pressure, flow rate) of the polariser.

Additionally, I am developing ¹²⁹Xe and proton (¹H) MRI techniques to study gas dynamics in the airways, aiming to improve our understanding of respiratory conditions and treatment.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Molway MJ, Bales-Shaffer L, Ranta K, Ball J, Sparling E, Prince M, Cocking D, Basler D, Murphy M, Kidd BE , Gafar AT et al (2023) Dramatic improvement in the “Bulk” hyperpolarization of 131Xe via spin exchange optical pumping probed using in situ low-field NMR. Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 354, 107521-107521.
Ball JE, Wild JM & Norquay G (2023) Investigating rubidium density and temperature distributions in a high-throughput 129Xe-Rb spin-exchange optical pumping polarizer. Molecules, 28(1). View this article in WRRO

All publications

Journal articles

Ball JE, Wild JM & Norquay G (2024) Evaluating modeling approaches for Rb-129Xe spin-exchange optical pumping and the effect of Rb vapor density heterogeneity. Journal of Applied Physics, 136(24).
Molway MJ, Bales-Shaffer L, Ranta K, Ball J, Sparling E, Prince M, Cocking D, Basler D, Murphy M, Kidd BE , Gafar AT et al (2023) Dramatic improvement in the “Bulk” hyperpolarization of 131Xe via spin exchange optical pumping probed using in situ low-field NMR. Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 354, 107521-107521.
Saunders LC, Collier GJ, Chan H-F, Hughes PJC, Smith LJ, Watson J, Meiring J, Gabriel Z, Newman T, Plowright M , Wade P et al (2023) Longitudinal lung function assessment of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 using 1H and 129Xe lung MRI. Chest, 164(3), 700-716. View this article in WRRO
Ball JE, Wild JM & Norquay G (2023) Investigating rubidium density and temperature distributions in a high-throughput 129Xe-Rb spin-exchange optical pumping polarizer. Molecules, 28(1). View this article in WRRO
Collier GJ, Schulte RF, Rao M, Norquay G, Ball J & Wild JM () Imaging gas-exchange lung function and brain tissue uptake of hyperpolarized 129Xe using sampling density-weighted MRSI. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. View this article in WRRO

Conference proceedings papers

Smith L, Marshall H, Jakymelen D, Biancardi A, Collier G, Chan H-F, Hughes P, Brook M, Astley J, Munro R , Rajaram S et al (2024) The sensitivity of different lung function metrics to detect airways disease. Respiratory function technologists/scientists (pp OA4590-OA4590)
Smith LJ, Marshall H, Biancardi A, Collier GJ, Chan HF, Capener D, Bray J, Jakymelen D, Saunders L, Astley J , Tahir BA et al (2023) P176 Bronchodilator response discordance in patients with asthma and/or COPD assessed by 129Xe-MRI and spirometry. ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’ – Imaging across COPD, nodules and lung cancer screening
Marshall H, Smith LJ, Biancardi A, Collier GJ, Chan HF, Capener D, Bray J, Jakymelen D, Saunders L, Astley J , Tahir BA et al (2023) P177 129Xe MRI phenotyping and longitudinal change in patients with asthma and/or COPD and normal pulmonary function tests. ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’ – Imaging across COPD, nodules and lung cancer screening
Smith L, Marshall H, Biancardi A, Collier G, Chan H-F, Capener D, Bray J, Jakymelen D, Saunders L, Astley J , Tahir B et al (2023) Bronchodilator response discordance in patients with asthma and/or COPD using Xe-MRI and spirometry. Respiratory function technologists/scientists
Smith L, Marshall H, Biancardi A, Collier G, Chan H-F, Capener D, Bray J, Jakymelen D, Saunders L, Astley J , Tahir B et al (2023) Xe-MRI bronchodilator response to assess disease severity in patients with asthma and/or COPD. Respiratory function technologists/scientists
Biancardi A, Marshall H, Smith L, Collier G, Chan H-F, Hughes P, Brook M, Astley J, Munro R, Rajaram S , Swift A et al (2023) Lung physiology and 129Xe MRI data driven clustering of patients with asthma and/or COPD. Clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging
Marshall H, Smith L, Biancardi A, Collier G, Chan H-F, Capener D, Bray J, Jakymelen D, Saunders L, Astley J , Tahir B et al (2023) Longitudinal change in lung physiology and 129Xe MRI over 1 year in patients with asthma and/or COPD. Clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging
Smith L, Marshall H, Jakymelen D, Biancardi A, Collier GJ, Chan H, Hughes PJC, Brook ML, Astley J, Munro R , Rajaram S et al (2022) Physiological assessment of patients with airways dysanapsis using 129Xe MRI. 09.01 - Respiratory function technologists/scientists
Smith L, Marshall H, Jakymelen D, Biancardi A, Collier G, Chan H, Hughes P, Brook M, Astley J, Munro R , Rajaram S et al (2022) 129Xe-MRI and lung function to phenotype ventilation heterogeneity in asthma and/or COPD. 05.02 - Monitoring airway disease
Marshall H, Smith LJ, Biancardi A, Collier GJ, Chan HF, Hughes PJC, Brook ML, Astley J, Munro R, Rajaram S , Swift AJ et al (2022) Physiological phenotypes of patients with asthma and/or COPD using 129Xe MRI. A99. LOOK AT THAT! NEW FINDINGS FROM LUNG IMAGING, Vol. 205 (pp a2175-a2175). San Francisco, CA, 13 May 2022 - 13 May 2022. View this article in WRRO
Ball J, Wild J & Norquay G () Investigating Rb vapor density and temperature distributions in a high throughput 129Xe-Rb polarizer. ISMRM Annual Meeting, 3 June 2023 - 8 June 2023.
Marshall H, Collier G, Smith L, Chan H-F, Hughes P, Capener D, Bray J, Joseph S, Munro R, Rodgers O , Ball J et al () 129Xe gas transfer lung MRI before and after bronchodilator inhalation in patients with asthma and/or COPD. ISMRM Annual Meeting, 3 June 2023 - 8 June 2023.
Hughes P, Marshall H, Smith L, Jakymelen D, Biancardi A, Collier G, Chan H-F, Brook M, Astley J, Munro R , Rajaram S et al () Differentiating patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using lung T1 and M0. ISMRM Annual Meeting, 3 June 2023 - 8 June 2023.
Marshall H, Collier G, Chan H-F, Smith L, Hughes P, Capener D, Bray J, Joseph S, Munro R, Rodgers O , Ball J et al () Longitudinal 129Xe MRI assessment of lung gas transfer and microstructure over 1 year in patients with asthma and/or COPD. ISMRM Annual Meeting, 3 June 2023 - 8 June 2023.
Saunders L, Collier G, Chan H-F, Hughes P, Smith L, Stewart N, Brooke J, Watson J, Meiring J, Gabriel Z , Newman T et al () Impaired xenon gas transfer observed one year after hospitalisation due to COVID-19 in patients with signs of interstitial lung disease.. ISMRM Annual Meeting, 3 June 2023 - 8 June 2023.

Preprints

Saunders LC, Collier GJ, Chan H-F, Hughes PJC, Smith LJ, Watson J, Meiring J, Gabriel Z, Newman T, Plowright M , Wade P et al (2022) Longitudinal lung function assessment of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 using¹H and¹²⁹Xe lung MRI, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Molway MJ, Bales-Shaffer L, Ranta K, Basler D, Murphy M, Kidd BE, Gafar AT, Porter J, Albin K, Goodson BM , Chekmenev EY et al (2021) Two-Orders-of-Magnitude Improvement in the Total Spin Angular Momentum of 131Xe Nuclei Using Spin Exchange Optical Pumping.