One technique we are working on is called hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI, this is is a new type of MRI helping us to study the metabolism of cancer. It involves a machine which sits next to our MRI scanner, into which we place molecules that we want to image. These molecules are cooled close to absolute zero and then heated rapidly to body temperature before injecting into a person. The metabolism of the molecule can be monitored using MRI. This is a technique we have been developing for the last 10 years and we hope to undertake our first patient studies in the next few months.
We are also working on sodium imaging, which allows us to look at the salt distribution in the body and we can use that to assess where there may be a tumour in the body. We can also image the movement of water imaging in tissue, termed ‘diffusion’, this allows us to understand the structure of the tissue and what may change when cancer forms. Both of these techniques are undertaken using an MRI scanner.
With PET we can produce images of sugar uptake in the body. We know cancers take up more sugar than normal tissues and PET imaging is a very sensitive way of detecting cancer. We now use these routinely in many patients who have cancer to determine where the cancer is and we are working on applications for new tracers using PET.
All our work is very collaborative, we work with a range of professions such as clinicians, scientists, pharmacists, physicists and biologists. We work together to use this technology to help treat people or understand their illness.