Molecular imaging of tumour metabolism across tissue scales

Summary

Our multidisciplinary team develop novel molecular imaging methods to probe tissue and cellular metabolism non-invasively. For example, we have led the translation of hyperpolarised carbon-13 MRI and deuterium metabolic imaging for clinical imaging, and our collaborators in AstraZeneca have developed state-of-art methods for probing tissue metabolism from pathological samples.

We have recently acquired a new in vivo metabolic imaging technology termed parahydrogen-induced polarisation, which allows rapid and repeated intravenous injection of a wide range of imaging probes to study cellular metabolism. These metabolic pathways can be targets for pharmacological intervention and serve as functional measures of drug-target interaction.

This proposal will leverage our joint academic and industrial expertise, by applying these techniques to a wide range of subcutaneous and orthotopic tumour models in our new preclinical imaging facility, as well as using a range of pharmacological and physiological agents. 

Project aims

The project will focus on lung and pancreatic cancer models, and the in vivo imaging will be compared with advanced tissue analysis methods such as mass spectrometry imaging, multiplexed immunohistochemistry, immune phenotyping, and spatial transcriptomics. The overall goal will be to deconvolve the cellular and immune contribution to the overall metabolic signal on imaging at a whole organism level.

The successfully candidate will work between the University and AstraZeneca to develop animal models, imaging tools, and the biological perturbations used to understand the relationship between in vivo molecular imaging and the cellular and subcellular changes within tissue, as well as how this metabolism changes with physiological interventions and following drug therapy.

Contact details

Professor Ferdia Gallagher - fag1000@cam.ac.uk

Opportunities

This project is open to applicants who want to do a:

• PhD