The typical NMR detection limit in the mid-micromolar range limits the technique in metabolomics applications, allowing only the higher concentration analytes to be targeted. However, the diagnostically interesting metabolites in the human metabolome are often found at low concentrations (<5 µM), which are currently beyond the reach of NMR. Several nuclear hyperpolarization techniques are being actively developed to overcome the inherent sensitivity limitations of NMR in the analysis of biological samples. Techniques such as dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (d-DNP), photo-CIDNP and parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization methods have been successfully applied to improve the detection of small molecule metabolites.