Colorectal cancer is the second highest cause of cancer-related deaths and is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in America. Although there are currently available screening methods such as colonoscopy, many patients remain undiagnosed until the disease has spread and thus likely advanced beyond hope of curative treatment. Also, colonoscopy carries the risk of intestinal perforation and is less apt to identify small or flat lesions. Patients diagnosed after metastasis make up 21% of all colorectal cancer cases, with a 5-year survival rate of only 13.5%. This presents an opportunity to improve screening methods with higher accuracy and safer implementation, namely through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of hyperpolarized silicon particles functionalized to specifically target colorectal cancer. MRI is a commonly used imaging modality that does not require ionizing radiation. Nevertheless, sensitivity and specificity are considered to be the major drawbacks regarding MRI. One method to improve the sensitivity is through hyperpolarization, a technique used to increase signal measured with MRI by at least 10,000-fold. Silicon is a promising candidate for in vivo medical applications due to its biocompatibility. Additionally, silicon is compatible with hyperpolarization due to its MR active isotope 29Si making up 4.7% of naturally occurring silicon. I have investigated the ability to functionalize silicon particles for targeted molecular imaging of colorectal cancer in vivo through hyperpolarized MRI. Furthermore, I have explored the feasibility of utilizing hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels to improve particle targeting ability.