UNA4CAREER
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement Nยบ 847635.
In vivo imaging research
Faculty of Medicine
Our main objective is to explore by innovative noninvasive imaging methods the relationship between vascularization and metabolism in healthy and diseased tissues in live animals. The major techniques used are positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) for molecular imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrafast ultrasound (UUI) for functional imaging.
RESEARCH TOPICS
Relationships between metabolic pathways and vascularization of tissues
Analysis of cancer cells’ metabolic pathways
Effect of anti-cancer therapy on tumor vascularization and metabolism
Cardiotoxicity of anti-angiogenics (transversal activities)
Perfusion, elastography and metabolic imaging of the beating heart
Development of new tools and protocols for experimental imaging
Detection of metabolites in cancers originating from germinal mutation of metabolic pathways (collaboration with team 13)
Applications of imaging to the monitoring of the efficacy of treatment
Construction of a new hybrid imaging instrument: PET-CT-UUI, and validation in oncologic, cardiologic and neurologic applications. With Physics for Medicine Lab, Prof Tanter, Paris
Development of labeling methods for imaging of microvesicles
Translation of imaging
Detection of succinate in paraganglioma patients
Adaptation of Product Life cycle management for biomedical imaging (collaboration with FEALINX company)
PETRUS : Simultaneous positron emission tomography and ultrafast ultrasound for hybrid molecular, anatomical and functional imaging
Positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET–CT) is the most sensitive molecular imaging modality, but it does not easily allow for rapid temporal acquisition. Ultrafast ultrasound imaging (UUI)—a recently introduced technology based on ultrasonic holography—leverages frame rates of up to several thousand images per second to quantitatively map, at high resolution, haemodynamic, biomechanical, electrophysiological and structural parameters. Here, we describe a pre-clinical scanner that registers PET–CT and UUI volumes acquired simultaneously and offers multiple combinations for imaging. We demonstrate that PET–CT–UUI allows for simultaneous images of the vasculature and metabolism during tumour growth in mice and rats, as well as for synchronized multi-modal cardiac cine-loops. Combined anatomical, functional and molecular imaging with PET–CT–UUI represents a high-performance and clinically translatable technology for biomedical research.
We’re proud and excited to say that the PETRUS reserach program will go clinical starting Q4 /Â 2020!
