About
My group develops novel in vivo molecular imaging methods to probe tissue biology non-invasively using MRI and PET. In particular, we have used multinuclear MRI approaches to study cellular biology at a whole organism level and have correlated the imaging results with tissue acquired at biopsy and at surgery. For example, our group has pioneered the use of hyperpolarised carbon-13 MRI as an emerging method to probe tissue metabolism, and more recently we have developed deuterium metabolic imaging at clinical field strength. We are particularly interested in studying how tissue biomarkers of disease can inform on the underlying biological drivers of non-invasive imaging. By combining tissue and imaging based biomarkers, we aim to use these for early cancer detection, to improve disease stratification based on tumour aggressiveness, and to detect successful response to treatment earlier.
Awards
- Honorary Skou Professor, University of Aarhus, 2022
- New Technologies Award, The British Institute of Radiology, 2022
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of MRI
- Garmisch-Partenkirchen MRI Symposium, 2021
- Emerging Leaders Club, International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology, 2022
- Adjunct Professor, Medical University of Vienna, 2019-22
Relevant Publications
- Sushentsev N, McLean MA, Warren AY, Benjamin AJ, Brodie C, Frary A, Gill AB, Jones J, Kaggie JD, Lamb BW, Locke MJ, Miller JL, Mills IG, Priest AN, Robb FJ, Shah N, Schulte RS, Graves MJ, Gnanapragasam VJ, Brindle KM, Barrett T, Gallagher FA (2022). Hyperpolarised 13C-MRI visualises metabolism in the tumour epithelium and the emergence of a glycolytic cell population within intermediate-risk human prostate cancer. Nat Commun. Jan 24;13(1):466. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28069-2
- Woitek R, McLean MA, Ursprung S, Rueda OM, Manzano Garcia R, Locke MJ, Beer L, Baxter G, Rundo L, Provenzano E, Kaggie J, Patterson A, Frary A, Field-Rayner J, Papalouka V, Kane J, Benjamin AJV, Gill AB, Priest AN, Lewis DY, Russell R, Grimmer A, White B, Latimer-Bowman B, Patterson I, Schiller A, Carmo B, Slough R, Lanz T, Wason J, Schulte RF, Chin SF, Graves MJ, Gilbert FJ, Abraham JE, Caldas C, Brindle KM, Sala E, Gallagher FA. (2021) Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 MRI for Early Response Assessment of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients. Cancer Res. Dec 1;81(23):6004-6017. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-1499
- Lau D, McLean MA, Priest AN, Gill AB, Scott F, Patterson I, Carmo B, Riemer F, Kaggie JD, Frary A, Milne D, Booth C, Lewis A, Sulikowski M, Brown L, Lapointe JM, Aloj L, Graves MJ, Brindle KM, Corrie PG, Gallagher FA. (2021) Multiparametric MRI of early tumor response to immune checkpoint blockade in metastatic melanoma. J Immunother Cancer. Sep;9(9):e003125. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003125
Support Us
CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.