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Theranostics and Molecular Imaging

Experts Innovate and Transform Molecular Imaging

University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have a strong tradition of innovation and leadership in molecular imaging, strengthened by industry partnerships to develop and deploy novel technology and techniques. The research team encompasses a multi-disciplinary team including physicians, scientists, technologists, radiopharmaceutical production staff, and graduate students. Our research aims to develop and translate new molecular imaging agents, support the expansion of targeted molecular therapies to validate and develop new instrumentation and image processing technologies.

University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University houses infrastructure that supports research along the entire chain of molecular imaging – from radioisotope production to image analysis. Researchers have access to equipment including a cyclotron, a GMP radiopharmaceutical production facility, clinical and pre-clinical PET/CT scanners, a PET/MR scanner, and computing resources.

The Department of Radiology at University Hospitals has a thriving research program in identifying innovative biomarkers, developing targeted contrast agents, and engineering image-guided therapeutics (theranostics) to transform early disease detection and advance personalized medicine and precision therapy. Many of our projects focus on targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (or PSMA) for improved diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Specific research topics include:

  • Optical imaging agents for detection of tumor resection margins
  • Gold nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy and sensitization of radiation therapy
  • PSMA-targeted nanoscale ultrasound contrast agents (aka nanobubbles) for biopsy guidance with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)
  • Focused therapy of aggressive prostate cancer

Strong Partnerships Enrich Research

University Hospital and Case Western Reserve University's molecular imaging research program is enriched by its many collaborative relationships with other departments and institutions. Notably, collaborations between UH, Case Western Reserve University and industry partners, including Philips Healthcare and MIM Software, have led to multiple joint molecular imaging research projects.

Newly Developed Imaging Agents Help Detect Diseases

Molecular imaging agents are developed and tested in a pre-clinical environment, including variously labeled peptides, proteins, antibodies, and antibody fragments for PET, optical, ultrasound, and photoacoustic imaging. Multimodal molecular imaging agents that can provide complementary and synergistic information via combinations of these imaging techniques are also in development. In addition, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University are expanding the critical roles that molecular imaging can play in image-guided drug delivery to cancer and other diseases with biocompatible/biodegradable nanomaterials (e.g., silica-based, polymer-based, among others).

Nuclear imaging agents developed include F18-labeled chlofarabin, to predict response to deoxycytidine kinase -targeting treatment, nuclear imaging probes for detection of neurodegenerative diseases, and studying sodium-glucose transporters for treatment planning and prediction of therapeutic efficacy. We are also developing contrast-enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) for imaging polycystic kidney disease and cancer.

Other research interests include quantitative imaging biomarkers of treatment response, automated analysis of 18F-NaF PET/CT imaging, machine learning applications to PET/CT and PET/MR image analysis, quantitative harmonization of PET scanners, and PET/MR imaging, among others.