Awards or Grants: National Cancer Institute (NCI) R21
The Kelly lab is currently funded by the NCI to validate imaging biomarkers of cardiotoxicity. Many patients are at risk of developing cardiotoxicity as a result of their cancer treatment. Damage is typically detected by echocardiography, but by the time it can be seen via this modality, the damage may be irreversible. The lab’s hypothesis is that positron emission tomography (PET) probes targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP), mitochondrial function and the autonomic nervous system are more sensitive to damage than echocardiography. If successful, this work may result in a method of screening cancer patients to determine those at risk of developing heart failure at a time when treatment can be adjusted to prevent permanent cardiac damage.