Researchers awarded nearly $3M NIH grant to advance glioblastoma imaging
Researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine have received a $2.54 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop a PET imaging tracer that could improve the detection and treatment of glioblastoma and other aggressive brain tumors.
The five-year project will target the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway, a metabolic process that glioma cells use to help evade the immune system. Researchers are hopeful that developing a radiotracer capable of targeting the pathway will provide more precise information about tumor activity and identify cancer cells that may not be visible on conventional MRI.
Csaba Juhasz, PhD, professor of pediatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, and Otto Muzik, PhD, professor of pediatrics, neurology and radiology, are co-principal investigators on the project. Their team was previously able to demonstrate that tryptophan PET imaging could identify infiltrative brain tumor tissue beyond what is visible on standard imaging.
A key limitation of the team’s prior research was the use of a carbon-11-based tracer. Carbon-11 has a short half-life, so its use requires specialized facilities and limits how broadly the technique can be tested and deployed. The new project will address this limitation by using a fluorine-18-based tracer developed by the Wayne State team in collaboration with the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Its longer half-life could make the technique more practical for clinical PET imaging.
Researchers hope to use the tracer in PET/CT scans to create quantitative maps of tryptophan metabolism within tumors to identify the most biologically active regions. They believe their findings could help clinicians better define tumor extent and target active disease during surgery.
"Our goal is to give physicians a clearer, highly precise map of active tumor tissue before and after treatment," Juhasz said. "By better targeting active cancer cells and distinguishing recurrence from treatment side effects, we aim to make treatments more effective and ultimately extend patient survival."
“Glioblastoma remains one of the most formidable challenges in clinical oncology, and improved imaging is essential to advancing how we diagnose and manage this disease,” added Wael Sakr, MD, dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “This NIH award recognizes the innovative work of Drs. Juhasz and Muzik and the strength of the multidisciplinary team they have assembled. Their research has the potential to provide clinicians with greater insight into the extent and activity of these tumors, supporting more precise and informed treatment decisions for patients with brain cancer.”
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.