Department of Nuclear medicine and Clinical Imaging
The research focus of the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Molecular Imaging is on theranostics, which is made possible by translational research, an interdisciplinary exchange of chemists, physicists, biologists and physicians, as well as the most advanced imaging technologies and methodology.
Current projects
Total-Body PET
The workgroup led by Dr. Fabian Schmidt is doing pioneering work in the field of total-body (TB) positron emission tomography (PET) with the first TB-PET/CT scanner at a university hospital in Germany. The extended axial coverage of this new technology increases sensitivity by a factor of 20 compared to standard whole-body scanners. This enables enormous potential for dose reduction, ultra-late imaging and holistic assessment of whole-body interactions. The focus of this working group is to exploit the full potential of TB-PET imaging for better patient care by developing various innovative methods based on patient data, phantom experiments and Monte Carlo simulations.
Translational Immune Imaging and Theranostic
Complex molecular and cellular processes determine the success or failure of cancer therapies. Innovative molecular imaging can help to understand the biological processes in the tumor and its environment and significantly improve the control of cancer therapies. TH workgroup of PD Dr. Johannes Schwenck therefore develop new tracers for PET imaging, evaluate them in preclinical experiments and transfer the successful concepts into the first prospective clinical studies.
Their focus is on the non-invasive examination of immune cells that are directed against the tumor, the characterization of therapeutically usable surface markers for e.g. radiopeptide or antibody therapies (theranostics), and on research into cell stress reactions such as tumor senescence, which have a decisive influence on the success of many cancer therapies.
Translational Neuroimaging
The complexity of neuropathophysiology can be approached non-invasively in the clinic using imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomography. These imaging modalities have distinct ways of characterizing the underlying tissue, which can help define specific properties. The vast amount of information acquired by these imaging modalities can be used to gain a fundamental understanding of biology as well as to extract the most relevant clinical information. The primary focus of Dr. S. Castanedas group is on the application of advanced imaging techniques and machine learning to understand diseases, particularly in the realm of neuroimaging and oncology. They have previously demonstrated that the integration of preclinical and clinical imaging data can enhance the understanding of disease mechanisms and improve diagnostic strategies through the identification of specific multimodal imaging signatures.
Another focus is on the discovery of imaging biomarkers within the tumor microenvironment using PET/MRI. This involves evaluating clinical imaging signatures of the tumor microenvironment and translating them back to the animal tumor models. Identification of these key imaging signatures can help define tumor regions that are resistant to clinical treatment. By leveraging preclinical imaging and applying machine learning to translate data from the macro to the microscale across species, the research aims to uncover critical aspects found in the tumor microenvironment of patients that can be explained cellularly and molecularly through animal models, while aiming to improve patient survival rates and expand treatment options in the clinic.
