Quantification of pre-clinical PET and SPECT imaging
Supervisor(s): Dr Glenn Flux
Team: Radioisotope Physics Team
View full details of this PhD Studentship in PDF format
Summary
Pre-clinical imaging is playing an increasingly important role in the development of new drugs for cancer diagnosis and treatment. In particular functional molecular imaging allows the level and distribution of uptake of a drug to be visualised in vivo. The aim of this project is to develop quantitative pre-clinical PET/CT and SPECT/CT whereby the absolute values of uptake of a radiopharmaceutical are determined.
The project will fall into several phases. Initially the aim will be to characterise the scanners to ensure that imaging parameters are determined and optimised. This will involve measuring sensitivity and resolution for different radionuclides and the generation of corrections for such factors as uniformity, linearity and deadtime. Although substantial work has been performed and is ongoing in this area with regard to clinical scanners there are particular requirements for pre-clinical scanners that have yet to be adequately explored. This may involve collaboration with other UK and mainland European centres. The accuracy of quantification will then be determined from a system of error analysis which will be developed as necessary for each radionuclide.
Quantitative imaging will then be applied to pre-clinical studies that will be developed during the course of the studentship. This will involve image analysis and pharmacokinetic modelling. In particular PET and SPECT radiotracers will be studied to quantify hypoxia (as tumours are known to be more resistant to therapeutic agents when starved of oxygen) and cellular proliferation.
The Institute of Cancer Research & Royal Marsden Hospital is one of four centres in the UK to be awarded the status of imaging centre and this project will form a part of the larger programme. The student will work within the Radioisotope Physics Group but will liaise closely with physicists and clinicians from several departments including Magnetic Resonance.
References
- Gregory, R., et al. (2009) Optimisation and assessment of quantitative I-124 imaging on a Philips Gemini dual GS PET/CT system. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imag Vol 36, No 7, p1037-1048
- Divoli, A., et al. (2009) Effect of patient morphology on dosimetric calculations for internal irradiation as assessed by comparisons of Monte Carlo vs conventional methodologies. J Nucl Med Vol 50, No 2, p316-323
- Holstensson, M, et al. (2007) Optimization of energy-window settings for scatter correction in quantitative In-111 imaging: Comparison of measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. Cancer Biother Radiopharm Vol 22, No 1, p136-142
