Benjamin Ellingson, a UCLA associate professor of radiology, biomedical physics and bioengineering and a member of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, is the 2015 recipient of a four-year research scholar grant of $790,000 from the American Cancer Society (ACS) to further develop a new imaging technique for the early identification of brain cancer tumors.
Preliminary work by Ellingson and colleagues, whose research also receives funding from the UCLA Department of Radiology, sought to develop a first-of-its-kind high-resolution “pH-weighted” non-invasive imaging technique capable of identifying cancer tumor growth and the beginnings of treatment resistance earlier than ever before. Called “Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer,” or CEST-MRI, the technique can be done on conventional MRI systems without the need for additional hardware or significant cost. The ACS grant will enable the researchers to work toward improving the speed and accuracy of CEST-MRI, allow for full coverage and mapping of the brain and increase the technique's ability to predict resistance to a wider variety of common cancer therapies,such as radiation, chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy.
Read the complete announcement at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
