Host: Biomedical Imaging Institute
Title: BII SYMPOSIA/SEMINAR PROGRAMME 2013/14- Prognostic Radiology: seeking biomarkers of tumor pathophysiology to enhance therapeutic outcome
Speaker: Ralph Mason
About the event:
As we enter the age of personalized medicine it becomes increasingly important to characterize tumors for potential response to therapy. I will describe research vignettes related to multiple modality imaging applied to tumor pathophysiology seeking to develop prognostic biomarkers suitable for translation from pre-clinical studies of tumors to the human patient. The focus is MRI with progression from quantitative fluorine NMR oximetry to non-invasive interrogation of tumor tissue and blood (TOLD and BOLD MRI). I will also consider opportunities for integrated therapy including vascular disrupting agents in combination with radio therapy, as revealed by dynamic bioluminescent imaging and ultrasound.
Hypoxia is recognized to influence solid tumor response to therapy and has been related to tumor aggressiveness, including growth, development, and metastatic potential. Invasive electrode and immunohistochemical studies have revealed tumor hypoxia and its influence on therapeutic response. Non-invasive measurement would be far more attractive and oxygen enhanced MRI promises insights into tumor hypoxia both for pre-clinical evaluation and ready translation to patients. The ability to stratify patients according to the oxygen characteristics of a tumor becomes increasingly relevant with the development of high dose stereotactic ablation radiation therapy (SABR). We believe we are at a historic juncture, where we not only have technologies for identifying hypoxia, but more importantly methods of tailoring therapy successfully to accommodate or exploit the killing of hypoxic cells.
If you would like to attend this seminar, please complete the on-line registration form -
https://apps.mhs.manchester.ac.uk/surveys/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=p2LL7873&Preview=true
Biosketch:
Dr. Mason is Director of the Cancer Imaging Program (CIP) at UT Southwestern with over 25 years experience in cancer imaging, therapy, and tumor pathophysiology. He is Professor of Radiology and member of the NCI designated Simmons Cancer Center. Dr. Mason’s primary research interest is prognostic radiology- developing and implementing methods for predicting optimal cancer therapy and assessing early response to treatment. The Southwestern small animal imaging resource (SW-SAIR) serves as a core of the new Cancer Center support grant. Dr. Mason oversees a team of experts who can advise on diverse imaging techniques and modalities including optical (BLI), ultrasound, MRI, and radionuclides. Dr Mason has become a recognized leader in imaging tumor pathophysiology, most notably with respect to hypoxia.
Dr. Mason has participated in many inter institutional collaborations including multi modal analysis of tumor progression and agent pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. We had previously found highly significant correlations between tumor growth delay and hypoxic fractions assessed by 19F MRI in rat tumors, but those measurements required reporter molecules. We have now found that Tissue Oxygen Level Dependant (TOLD) MRI, which is entirely non-invasive, correlates with tumor response to radiation therapy and thus the proposed application to this SBIR project is highly appropriate.
Interview with 'Future Medicine' - Ralph Mason -
http://www.bii.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/Events/InterviewRalphMason.pdf
