NIH Awards $2.6M to PET/CT Researchers with Prostate Biomarker Technique

Radiologists at Thomas Jefferson University were awarded a five-year, $2.6 million NIH grant to develop a new PET/CT technique that could eliminate the need for confirmation biopsies in the detection of prostate cancer. Lead researcher Matthew Thakur and colleagues say they have developed peptides that would detect the presence of biomarkers that are expressed by developing prostate cancer tumors. "This noninvasive method could significantly contribute to the management of prostate cancer," said Dr. Thakur in a statement accompanying the announcement. "It would result in a reduction of unnecessary biopsy procedures and under treatment or over treatment that yield minimal benefits, incontinence, or impotence."

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