U01CA264039

Improved Whole-Brain Spectroscopic MRI for Radiation Therapy Planning

Identifying the extent of brain tumor margins for radiation treatment planning remains a challenging task due to the infiltrative nature of these tumors and limitations in current standard imaging methods.

Multiple studies, including our own, have demonstrated that an MR technique for detecting metabolites in tissue, MR spectroscopic imaging or spectroscopic MRI (SMRI), can detect areas of infiltrating tumor with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. This enables better radiation treatment of areas that lead to early recurrence and extends life.

SMRI enables the identification of tumor extent that is marked by increased choline/N-acetylaspartate ratios, including regions that are not detectable by diagnostic MRI and that are normally left untreated. By allowing these previously undetected regions to be treated, SMRI has the potential to improve the efficacy of radiation treatment and significantly delay recurrence.

In our 3-site SMRI-guided radiation dose escalation pilot study, which was completed in 2019, we were able to demonstrate feasibility and safety. Survival analysis of all 30 GBM patients shows a promising median overall survival (OS) of 23 months compared to 16 months OS for GBM patients receiving standard-of-care.

Our trial has been approved as a National Clinical Trial Network (ECOG-ACRIN) trial (EAF211). This is a great opportunity to disseminate this technique with staff support from ACRIN and the American College of Radiology (ACR).

We will achieve the goal in the renewal funding period of our current project by leveraging diverse expertise at three research sites and collaboration with Siemens Healthineers to engineer and validate technological improvements needed to improve SMRI acquisition, analysis, and clinical integration.

These improvements include:

(1) Updated rapid and motion-robust SMRI for improved image quality.

(2) New accelerated data processing pipelines to return CHO/NAA ratio maps to PACS for clinically timely radiology reporting.

(3) New processing, display, and analysis methods that will present metabolite maps in an efficient manner with a clinician-friendly interface that enables integration with radiation treatment planning software systems.

(4) Development of new tools to predict the optimal baseline RT planning strategies using SMRI.

The completion of this study will provide robust SMRI acquisition methods and software tools that are ready to be deployed in clinical use and which will help guide important treatment decisions.

Emory University

TO IMPROVE SCREENING AND EARLY DETECTION STRATEGIES AND TO DEVELOP ACCURATE DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES AND METHODS FOR PREDICTING THE COURSE OF DISEASE IN CANCER PATIENTS. SCREENING AND EARLY DETECTION RESEARCH INCLUDES DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIES TO DECREASE CANCER MORTALITY BY FINDING TUMORS EARLY WHEN THEY ARE MORE AMENABLE TO TREATMENT. DIAGNOSIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON METHODS TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE OF A SPECIFIC TYPE OF CANCER, TO PREDICT ITS COURSE AND RESPONSE TO THERAPY, BOTH A PARTICULAR THERAPY OR A CLASS OF AGENTS, AND TO MONITOR THE EFFECT OF THE THERAPY AND THE APPEARANCE OF DISEASE RECURRENCE. THESE METHODS INCLUDE DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING AND DIRECT ANALYSES OF SPECIMENS FROM TUMOR OR OTHER TISSUES. SUPPORT IS ALSO PROVIDED FOR ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING RESOURCES OF HUMAN TISSUE TO FACILITATE RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.394 - Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research

National Cancer Institute (NCI) [HHS - NIH]

Atlanta, Georgia 303221013 United States

Single Zip Code

Bioengineering Research Partnerships (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-19-156)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 268% from $661,161 to $2,436,201.