Use of advanced magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography for characterising inflammation in brain tumours

Gliomas are primary brain tumours which span a spectrum from comparatively slow growing tumours in young adults to highly aggressive tumours presenting later in life. Despite aggressive treatment combining surgery followed by radio-chemotherapy, cure of these tumours remains impossible which together with the poor prognosis of the most common subtype (approximately 15 months median survival for glioblastoma) leads to a disproportionately high socio-economic impact. Treatment planning relies on the radiological identification of the tumour extent typically with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Clinically used brain imaging techniques based on cerebral blood flow and capillary leakage are limited in detecting tumour cell invasion into the tissue surrounding the tumour.
Advanced MRI and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) techniques have been used to acquire quantitative brain imaging data, for example, tissue relaxivity and diffusivity characteristics using MRI, amino acid transport and neuroinflammation using PET for which the research team has extensive experience.
The aim of this PhD project is to contribute to the development of the imaging methodology for enhanced MRI using ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIO) as contrast medium. This novel brain imaging technique is currently researched for the monitoring of the tumour microenvironment, in particular for tumour associated macrophages, in order to provide improved guidance to treatment planning.
This PhD studentship is based in biomedical imaging science with an emphasis on data analysis methodology for tissue classification, brain tumour characterisation and multi-parametric mapping. It provides training opportunities in image processing, segmentation and analysis plus statistical imaging methods. It is embedded in an interdisciplinary research environment of clinical scientists and imaging experts based at the Imaging Facilities at the University of Manchester and the Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences in association with Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre. As part of the training, the postgraduate researcher will be encouraged to attend relevant course units from the MSc in Medical Imaging Science.