The proposed application aims to establish computed tomography (CT) as a non-invasive imaging technique to characterize the pharmacokinetics of platinum-containing drugs in liver tumors in vivo. This grant proposal represents the initial phase of a long-term research initiative to develop a novel image-guided local drug therapy for the minimally invasive treatment of liver tumors. In this procedure, a controlled release drug delivery device is percutaneously implanted into tumor tissues under image guidance (CT, MRI) to provide a sustained, elevated concentration of anti-cancer drugs to eliminate the cancer cells. In this application, we propose to develop computed tomography as a novel imaging modality to characterize the release and transport of platinum-containing drugs in rabbit VX-2 liver tumors in vivo.
The specific aims of the proposal are:
Aim 1 - Optimize CT acquisition parameters for quantitative analysis.
Aim 2 - Validate the use of CT in quantifying agent spatial distribution.
Aim 3 - Characterize the dynamics of release and distribution of carboplatin in vivo. If validated, CT will complement nuclear imaging and MRI as another imaging modality for non-invasive drug monitoring. The advantage of CT may reside in the combination of high spatial resolution and sensitivity. This unique and capable feature of CT in non-invasive drug monitoring will potentially open new research opportunities for scientists or physicians in the fields of pharmacology, oncology and radiology.
