Translational Molecular Imaging in Oncologic Therapy Monitoring

Our Research

Molecular imaging plays a crucial role in this process. Radioactive substances are administered to the patient to visualize biological processes non-invasively using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The combination of PET with Computed Tomography (PET/CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET/MRI) allows us to capture functional and morphological information simultaneously.

Our goal is to harness the capabilities of molecular imaging, especially PET, to translate research results into clinical practice. In our clinical cooperation unit, experts from various disciplines, including nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists, radiopharmacists, and medical physicists work together on the development and establishment of innovative PET tracers using cutting-edge technology such as the long-axial field-of-view PET/CT, PET/MRI, and photon-counting CT to advance personalized oncology. We aim to improve the early detection of cancer and precise prediction of therapy response for our patients. Our work represents a significant step toward precision medicine for oncology patients.

Projects

Figure 1. Study overview of the PRINCIPLE Study. LAFOV-PET/CT: long-axial field-of-view Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography, FU: follow-up examination, PN: pulmonary nodule, LC: lung cancer, PCCT: photon-counting Computed Tomography

The aim of the PRINCIPLE study is to improve the early and precise characterization of pulmonary nodules through innovative, multimodal diagnostics.

State-of-the-art imaging technologies, such as the "long-axial field-of-view Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography" (LAFOV-PET/CT) and Photon-Counting Computed Tomography (PCCT), are combined with innovative molecular genetic analyses from both liquid and tissue biopsies. Artificial intelligence supports the detection of pulmonary nodules, image evaluation, and integration of multimodal examinations to precisely predict the malignancy of pulmonary nodules. The study overview is presented in Figure 1.

Patients with a pulmonary nodule between 6 and 30 mm without known cancer diagnosis in the past five years are eligible to participate in the study after consultation with a pulmonologist.