FLIC - Functional Ligands for Imaging in Cancer

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) are two essential imaging methods whose clinical application in cancer research is well established. Recent advances in clinical instrumentation have resulted in equipment with improved resolution and sensitivity. However, current contrast or imaging agents for use in MRI and PET are not as effective for the 21st century instrumentation now being deployed. The design, synthesis and validation of improved, new functional imaging probes is urgently needed. To develop such probes for cancer a multidisciplinary team is required with expertise in synthetic chemistry and radiochemistry, pre-clinical and clinical imaging sciences, and cancer drug development, working in harmony with the needs and aspirations of cancer biology. No single grouping in the UK can currently offer this range of expertise, and therefore to make progress in this important area the formation of a multi-centre collaborative grouping is essential. The proposed FLIC platform grant will establish a collaborative team with strengths in chemistry, cancer imaging and drug development, and in so doing create a chemistry-life science interface that will address a key need in personalised medicine, producing new chemical entities with genuine utility for healthcare providers and amenable to commercial exploitation.