Monitoring advancements: Innovative imaging technique monitors effectiveness of cancer treatment in early-stage research
In a groundbreaking development, a team of researchers led by Dr. Ming-Rong Zhang, Director of the Department of Advanced Nuclear Medicine Sciences at the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST), Japan, have published a study that could potentially revolutionize the field of cancer immunotherapy. The study, published in BMJ's Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, offers a promising alternative to the invasive biopsy for monitoring IDO1 activity non-invasively.
The IDO1 status in the mesenteric lymph node, according to the study, serves as an unprecedented surrogate marker of the cancer-immune set point, an equilibrium state from tumor tolerance to elimination, in response to immunotherapeutic intervention. Dr. Zhang's expertise lies in PET chemistry, molecular imaging, and the detection of immunosuppressive tumors.
The researchers used a radiotracer that binds to IDO1 and can reliably reflect levels of IDO1 expression at specific sites in the body. The study found that the radiotracer uptake in the tumors seemed to be the same across all treatments, but in the case of a standout treatment strategy, the radiotracer signal beamed in an off-tumor organ called the mesenteric lymph node.
The radiotracer uptake increased from a few days before the peak, peaked with peak treatment efficacy, plateaued until a few days before treatment decline began, and fizzled out when the tumor relapsed. The researchers tracked IDO1 activity after a possible treatment has been administered using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
This study holds great potential as a robust method for visualizing personalized antitumor responses in patients, addressing the possible causes for the failure of existing clinical trials, thereby improving the therapeutic outcome of IDO1 regimens. It also illustrates a potential precision medicine paradigm for noninvasive visualization of each patient's individual response in combinatorial cancer immunotherapy and opens up new avenues for future clinical trials for precision anti-cancer immunotherapies.
Established in April 2016, QST is striving to establish world-leading research and development platforms and explore new fields. Its mission includes research and development into quantum science and technology, radiation emergency medicine, and the medical use of radiation. QST's website is located at https://www.qst.go.jp/site/qst-english/.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Public Relations Section of QST at +81-43-206-3026 or [email protected]. The study was funded by JSPS KAKENHI, JSPS International Joint Research Program, and the Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment.
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