Successful cancer treatment and recovery obviously depends upon early diagnosis, but also important is the decision on which type of treatment each cancer patient should receive. Individual treatment plans should depend on molecular tumor characteristics and results of histopathological staging. With multiple choices, the need for early assessment of therapeutic response is increasing in order to optimize the treatment and to avoid redundant or excessive treatment. Methods that not only demonstrate the anatomical outline but also functional and metabolic changes would give valuable information for such clinical decisions.
Our work focus on development of magnetic resonance (MR) technology in identifcation of the functional and metabolic changes that precede anatomic evidence of cancer disease, tracking gene expression, studying drug delivery and response, and monitoring basic cellular processes. Tumor characteristics like angiogenesis, apoptosis, metabolism and hypoxia can all be studied using different MR techniques.
We have divided our research activities into 4 main areas
Tissue Characterization
Evaluate the clinical value of High Resolution Maginc Spinning MR Spectroscopy (HR MAS), and by that establish HR MAS for predicting metastatic potential and choice of treatment
Preclinical Models
Develop metabolic, vascular and molecular imaging to assess therapeutic effects to be translated into the clinic
Clinical Imaging
Develop metabolic, vascular and molecular imaging for individual patient handling and treatment
Data Analysis
Develop and implement tools for data analyses of MRI and MRS derived variables
