Software to plan targeted radioactive drug treatment for tiny cancer deposits
Official title: MIRDcell Version 3
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11459242 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A computer modeling tool to help doctors plan radioactive drug treatments that better reach tiny tumors and scattered cancer cells.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | February 15, 2020 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $139,667 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA245139-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11459242 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who are receiving or may be candidates for radiopharmaceutical (alpha- or beta-emitting) therapies, or who have micrometastatic or disseminated cancer cells, would be most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People whose cancers are not treated with radiopharmaceuticals or who have non-cancer conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This project upgrades MIRDcell, a software tool that models how different radioactive drugs (alpha and beta emitters) deposit energy at the microscopic scale in tumors and nearby normal tissue. The team will simulate how nonuniform drug uptake, particle range, and biological effectiveness affect dose to tiny metastases and disseminated tumor cells. Results will be compared with existing dose-calculation methods and used to improve treatment planning for radiopharmaceutical therapy. The tool is intended for use by researchers and clinicians to explore dosing strategies that could reduce harm to normal tissues while improving tumor control.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the software could help clinicians choose and plan radiopharmaceutical treatments that better destroy microscopic cancer and reduce side effects.
How similar studies have gone: There are established tools for macroscopic dose calculations and earlier versions of MIRDcell, but planning for microscopic disease is less tested and this work expands on earlier methods.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Howell, Roger W. — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Howell, Roger W.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.