Brain Glioblastoma Imaging and Therapy

When further resources are available, we wish to apply the strategy described for imaging and therapy of breast cancer to the targeting of brain glioblastoma tumours using a variety of antibody fragments with tumour specificity, combined with glucose and/or folic acid coatings. The ability of EIT to image brain events is illustrated in the Figure which shows the detection of epileptic episodes in two different individuals.

Missing fits Image

Epileptic fits imaged by EIT technology

Novel potential directions for brain EIT imaging

Although not strictly within the cancer remit, the brain technology could open up the way for imaging inflammatory sites in multiple sclerosis and amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. The expertise of Dr. Xiaohong Gao, Reader in Engineering and Dr. Mark Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Neurophysiology, in the analysis of data retrieved from conventional brain imaging, will ultimately be of great assistance to us in the design of algorithms to interpret our own images.

Other applications could include early diagnosis of dyslexia and early discrimination between haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke. (***Richard – do you want this in?***).

Team:

Richard Bayford Professor of Biomodelling & Bioinformatics
Andrew Tizzard Reader in Bio-Engineering
Martina Callaghan Senior Research Fellow in Physics
K. Ashkan Consultant Neurosurgeon, King’s College Hospital, London