Application of Clinical Biomarkers for the Development of Multimodal Imaging Agents

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"Incorrect assignment of cancer stage in advanced-cancer-patients is responsible for the incorrect choice of first-line cancer therapy leading to increased-mortality(1.5-2x) and lowered-survival (less than 12 months) in as-many-as 25% of all patients diagnosed with cancer in the UK.Contrast-enhanced MR and CT imaging are the most common imaging modalities for cancer imaging and staging across all treatment regimes. Current MR/CT imaging contrast imaging agents do not possess required specificity and sensitivity and therefore cannot distinguish between cancer sub-stages, resulting in an inaccurate and imprecise estimation of cancer stage.The project develops ""novel"" i.e. patient-specific, MR/CT imaging-sensitive and side-effects-free imaging agents. The imaging agents are composed of multifunctional nanoparticles and cancer biomarker targeting ligands. The nanoparticles are biologically compatible and capable of optimizing contrast in MR and CT imaging. Most importantly, the nanoparticle agents specifically bind to cancer cells, therefore, are required in 4-10x lower dosage relative to existing MR/CT imaging contrast agents to optimize tumour contrast, thus causing minimum inconvenience and adverse effects in patients.The imaging agents will not only reduce the time and frequency of patient's clinical visits but also reduce the overall cost of cancer treatment by increasing overall cancer treatment efficacy by minimizing revision surgeries, imaging sessions and related-inefficiencies. Therefore the personalized imaging agents will promote sustainable healthcare by enabling cancer patient's access to adequate and cost-effective healthcare."