Researchers at UC-San Francisco are working on ways to sharply fine-tune MRI for catching and characterizing prostate cancers. The metabolic, diffusion and perfusion-weighted techniques they’re developing with their vendor partner may become applicable for structures well beyond the prostate.
“We are now very interested in a new technique called hyperpolarized carbon MRI,” explains lead researcher John Kurhanewicz, PhD, in a video accompanying a March 27 blog post. “We actually take a natural substrate from the body, such as glucose or pyruvate, [and] we can label that substrate with an MRI-active label.”
Kurhanewicz adds that his team can increase the sensitivity of said label “to the point where … we can start looking at all kinds of biologic processes, image them throughout the body and then really take advantage of what MRI does for us. This really gives us the ability to look at either an organ, like the prostate, or even the whole body.”
Read the blog post and watch the two-part video:
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.