Imaging tumour distribution of a polymeric drug delivery platform in vivo by PET-MRI

Project Summary

Over the past decade, molecular imaging has played a key role in the progression of drug delivery platforms from concept to commercialisation. Of the molecular imaging techniques commonly utilised, positron emission tomography (PET) can yield a breadth of information not easily accessible by other methodologies and when combined with other complementary imaging modalities, is a powerful tool for pre- and clinical development of therapeutics. However, very little research has focussed on the information available from complimentary imaging modalities. Gd contrast enhanced PET/MRI offers a powerful methodology for investigating the distribution of polymer drug delivery platforms in vivo and throughout a tumour volume. Furthermore, information about depth of penetration away from primary blood vessels can be gleaned, potentially leading to development of more efficacious delivery vehicles for clinical use. This project investigates whether in vivo imaging can provide the spatial and temporal resolution to understand such processes.