DDG-MRI for cancer detection - A novel medical imaging approach that correlates to FDG-PET without ionising radiation

Introduction

Positron emission tomography (PET) measurements of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake have been widely used clinically for tumour staging, prognosis, and treatment monitoring. It can be more sensitive at detecting treatment response than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT)-based evaluations of tumour size.

Background

2-deoxy-D-glucose (DG) and FDG are non-metabolisable derivatives of D-glucose that get trapped in the cells of active or malignant tissues. Even though highly sensitive, the ionising radiation associated with FDG-PET limits its frequent application (typically not more than 2-3 examinations per year) and its use in populations such as children and pregnant women, who may otherwise benefit from this valuable and unique diagnostic imaging examination. As such, alternative techniques are highly demanded.

Project Objectives

The DDG-MRI project aims at providing the benefits of FDG-PET without ionising radiation. We propose an MRI-based imaging agent and technique that will provide PET-like images with MRI without ionising radiation.

Methodology

To this end, we will make use of:

1. A novel DG analogue that is uniformly labelled with deuterons ([D8]2-deoxy-D-glucose).
2. Rapid and sensitive deuterium MRI schemes targeted at demonstrating the uptake of this agent in malignant tissues following intravenous administration.

Expected Outcomes

The expected spatial resolution will exceed that of FDG-PET (~2-3 mm in plane) in a scan time of about 2 minutes, with a clinically acceptable and commercially relevant dose of the labelled compound.

Adoption and Impact

DDG-MRI is likely to be quickly adopted by medical centres as it does not require significant hardware changes, does not change the MRI suite workflow, and is expected to cost the same as a PET scan.

Consortium

This consortium comprises six partners (two from industry) from five countries, enthusiastic about making DDG-MRI a medical reality for cancer detection and treatment monitoring.