Award or Grant: Radiology/Citigroup Biomedical Imaging Center Pilot Award
It is well documented that molecularly targeted radiotherapy, such as pre-targeted radioimmunotherapy, can be optimized on a patient-specific basis with pre-therapeutic imaging and dosimetry. This can be carried out with theranostic isotopes such as the beta/gamma emitter lutetium (Lu)-177, or with therapeutic isotopes in combination with imaging surrogates (e.g., treatment with beta emitter yttrium (Y)-90 and imaging with the gamma emitter indium (In)-111). There is a need to more accurately determine radiation absorbed dose of alpha emitters now being introduced into clinical trials for radioimmunotherapy and targeted peptide therapy. The lab’s goal is to develop a method using single proton emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging data to indirectly measure the uptake and clearance of a therapeutic labeled with actinium (Ac)-225 through its progeny nuclides to generate dose estimates in tumor and normal tissue.