State-of-the-Art Equipment for Preclinical Molecular Imaging and Targeted Radiotherapy

最先进的临床前分子成像和靶向放射治疗设备

• 批准号: MR/X011992/1
• 负责人: Tim Witney
• 金额: $ 101.94万
• 依托单位: King's College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FX011992%2F1
• 关键词: State; Art; Equipment; Preclinical; Molecular

Numerous chronic diseases, such as cancer and early heart disease, are often symptomless. Consequently, these diseases are often diagnosed at a late stage which reduces the treatment options that are available to the patient. We are creating new ways of seeing inside the body to identify the processes that go wrong with these devastating diseases using a process called 'molecular imaging'. These innovative scans require the administration of radioactive drugs into the blood stream. The drugs home to the site of the disease, or identify a particular feature related to the disease that will help medical professionals provide the correct treatments for the specific patient. The radioactivity is needed so advanced medical scanners can identify the disease location in the body. Instead of taking a picture of the outside, these scanners can see deep within the body and locate regions of disease that are just millimetres in size. The type and amount of radioactivity used are not harmful but provide the 'beacon' so these diseases can visualised by the scanner.At King's College London we have pioneered the discovery of new molecular imaging applications for the past fifteen+ years. We have built a critical mass and extensive research infrastructure to make pioneering discoveries in molecular imaging research with the ultimate goal of improving human health. This exciting area of research is now on the cusp of new discoveries to not only see but treat disease. By changing the nature of the radioactivity attached to the drug we can deliver a targeted therapeutic payload to the site of disease, resulting in its elimination. Known as 'radionuclides therapies', they have already shown improvements over normal chemotherapy in prostate cancer patients with a lower number of side effects. At King's College London we have the facilities, know-how and ambition to make a significant contribution to this emerging field of research.To fully exploit our critical mass in molecular imaging and radionuclide research we require new scanners to detect both imaging and therapeutic radioactivity. Here, we have requested funds to purchase miniaturised clinical scanners for research using animal models of human diseases. Replacing our >12-year-old equipment they possess advanced features that enable researchers to develop and optimise these imaging tools before their use in humans. Specifically, we will be able to track the movement of these radioactivity-based treatments throughout the body in real time. The improved resolution of the scans will also allow us to identify microstructures in the body or track just a few thousand therapeutic cells that are injected to fight cancer. Working with researchers across the UK will use these scanners to improve our understanding of a host of different diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease, pregnancy, inflammatory disorders, and arthritis. Finally, by partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies we aim to commercialise these discoveries to deliver maximum benefit to a wide range of patients both in the UK and world-wide.

许多慢性疾病，如癌症和早期心脏病，往往没有症状。因此，这些疾病往往在晚期才被诊断出来，从而减少了患者可用的治疗选择。我们正在创造新的方法来观察身体内部，用一种叫做“分子成像”的方法来识别这些毁灭性疾病的错误过程。这些创新的扫描需要将放射性药物注入血液。这些药物可以定位疾病部位，或识别与疾病相关的特定特征，从而帮助医疗专业人员为特定患者提供正确的治疗方法。先进的医疗扫描仪需要放射性来识别身体的疾病部位。这些扫描仪可以看到身体深处，定位只有几毫米大小的疾病区域，而不是拍摄身体外部的照片。使用的放射性的类型和数量是无害的，但提供了“信标”，因此这些疾病可以通过扫描仪可视化。在伦敦国王学院，我们在过去的15年里率先发现了新的分子成像应用。我们已经建立了一个临界质量和广泛的研究基础设施，在分子成像研究中取得开创性的发现，最终目标是改善人类健康。这一令人兴奋的研究领域现在正处于新发现的尖端，不仅可以看到疾病，还可以治疗疾病。通过改变附着在药物上的放射性物质的性质我们可以将有针对性的治疗载荷送到疾病部位，从而消除疾病。这种被称为“放射性核素疗法”的疗法，在前列腺癌患者身上已经显示出比常规化疗更有效的效果，而且副作用更少。在伦敦国王学院，我们拥有为这一新兴研究领域做出重大贡献的设施、专业知识和雄心。为了充分利用我们在分子成像和放射性核素研究方面的临界质量，我们需要新的扫描仪来检测成像和治疗放射性。在此，我们申请资金购买小型化临床扫描仪，用于人类疾病动物模型的研究。他们拥有先进的功能，使研究人员能够在将这些成像工具用于人类之前开发和优化这些成像工具。具体来说，我们将能够实时跟踪这些基于放射性的治疗在全身的运动。扫描分辨率的提高也将使我们能够识别体内的微观结构，或者追踪几千个注射抗癌的治疗细胞。与英国各地的研究人员合作，将使用这些扫描仪来提高我们对一系列不同疾病的理解，包括癌症、神经退行性疾病、心脏病、妊娠、炎症性疾病和关节炎。最后，通过与制药和生物技术公司合作，我们的目标是将这些发现商业化，为英国和世界各地的广大患者带来最大的利益。