Very Fast, Accurate And Low Dose Imaging For Radiotherapy Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,651.00
Summary
This project will reduce scan times and imaging dose by an order of magnitude for an imaging modality that is the standard of care for lung cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Specifically, scan times reduce from 4min to below 60sec, image quality will be improved and imaging dose will be reduced by 85%. These improvements not only improve treatment efficacy by improving the accuracy of radiotherapy delivery, they reduce treatment times and reduce discomfort to the patient.
A Multi-Centre Feasibility Study Of Online Adaptive Image Guided Radiotherapy For Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,152.00
Summary
Many studies have shown that the bladder can move, change in size and shape through a course of radiation therapy. As shown in a pilot study, with the online adaptive radiotherapy technique trained staff can daily match the radiation fields to the bladder position and size using a type of CT scan. Potential benefits are better cancer coverage with improved cancer control and less normal tissue irradiation. This study will determine if the technique will work across multiple Australian centres.
Prospective Clinical Research Of Radiation Response To High-dose Radiotherapy In Lung Tumours And Surrounding Normal Tissue Using Functional Imaging Biomarker Assessments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$120,275.00
Summary
Radiotherapy is a potentially curative treatment for cancers of the lung. To improve outcomes, modern research efforts have focussed on radiotherapy dose escalation. However a major limitation to dose escalation is the associated toxicity to the lung. At present, the mechanisms of lung toxicity are incompletely understood. This research will investigate biomarkers of radiation response in patients receiving high-dose radiotherapy to the lung by using state-of-the-art scanning techniques.
A Prospective Clinical Trial To Establish The Significance Of Interim FDG And FLT PET/CT Scans As Biomarkers Of Patient Prognosis And Individualised Radiation Therapy In Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,902.00
Summary
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography (CT) scanners pinpoint the location of cancer cells in people prior to and after treatment. This innovative study will use during treatment PET/CT scans to establish the response of lung tumours to radiation therapy (RT). We will use these scans to simulate the delivery of highly targeted, individualised RT and to predict patient prognosis, with the ultimate aim of increasing survival and minimising side effects in patients with lung cancer
Targeting 124I To The DNA Of Tumours For PET Imaging And Auger-Radiotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$787,000.00
Summary
The aim of this project is to develop a new method of targeting radioactivity to tumours, for detection and treatment, using a radioactive element (iodine-124). Iodine-124 emits a form of radiation called positrons, detected by a new imaging technique - Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Therefore, tumours labelled with iodine-124 can be imaged by PET. Also, iodine-124 is amongst a class of radioactive atoms (called Auger-emitters) that emit a shower of very low energy electrons. This intense f ....The aim of this project is to develop a new method of targeting radioactivity to tumours, for detection and treatment, using a radioactive element (iodine-124). Iodine-124 emits a form of radiation called positrons, detected by a new imaging technique - Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Therefore, tumours labelled with iodine-124 can be imaged by PET. Also, iodine-124 is amongst a class of radioactive atoms (called Auger-emitters) that emit a shower of very low energy electrons. This intense focus of radiation damage, can be exploited to kill cancer cells by inflicting lethal DNA damage. To bring the iodine-124 close to the DNA molecule, we will attach it to a DNA-binding drug linked to a tumour-seeking protein, such as an anti-tumour antibody. After injection of the radioactive drug-protein cocktail, PET imaging will be used to assess the extent of tumour targeting, to enable calculation of the amount of cocktail required for successful tumour treatment by further injections. There are some situations where tumour imaging needs to be non-damaging, such as in using PET imaging to assess the success of surgical removal of a tumour. Therefore, we will design an alternative version of the iodine-124-labelled DNA- binding drug with the radioactive atom in a location that will minimise DNA damage from radioactive decay. In this imaging-only scenario, the Auger-emission feature is suppressed whilst still exploiting positron-emission for imaging. The stability of radioactive atoms varies widely, and the half-life of iodine-124 (about four days) is an ideal compromise for imaging and treatment. By contrast, the utility of the most commonly used isotope for PET imaging, fluorine-18, is limited by its half-life of only a few hours. The PET Centre at PeterMac will soon produce iodine-124, joining one of only a few centres throughout the world. Peter Mac has recently lodged a patent application for the technology to be developed in this project.Read moreRead less