CR-UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre
Facilities in the CR-UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre include two clinical 1.5-T MR scanners, a 3T clinical scanner, together with 7-T and 11.7-T experimental systems.
The primary research focus is on defining the role of magnetic resonance (MR) in cancer diagnosis, staging, and response assessment. Functional MR methods are being developed and evaluated as prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers particularly for determining the action of and response to novel therapeutic agents. These approaches are increasingly using quantitative imaging and spectroscopy methodologies.
The Centre is also developing and assessing MR methods for radiotherapy planning, developing improved analysis for breast cancer and exploring basic technologies such as dynamic nuclear polarisation.
The CR-UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre has provided analysis methods to academic centres and industry and has reported methods in cancer staging and screening that have led practice and provided national guidelines.
Clinical Studies:
- Prostate cancer
- Breast cancer
- GI cancer-hollow organ
- GI cancer-liver
- Gynaecological cancer
- Service development (Radiotherapy using magnetic resonance, paediatric spectroscopy, head and neck functional imaging)
Therapeutic and Diagnostic Trials:
- Functional Imaging
- Spectroscopy
Methodological Development:
- Functional imaging
- Clinical spectroscopy
- Preclinical spectroscopy
- Breast cancer detection and analysis
- Hyperpolarisation
Preclinical and Experimental Studies:
- Metabolic effects of pathway inhibition
- Assessing vascular effects of therapy
- Assessing gene therapy
- MAS studies of ex vivo tissues
Multicentre Screening Trials:
- Early detection of breast cancer (MARIBS)
- Effect of density with predisposition mutation
- Testing the MARIBS cohort
