Targeting low-oxygen areas in glioblastoma with PET/MRI and immune-targeting therapy
Leveraging Biologically Specific PET/MRI Monitoring and Therapeutic Modulation of the Hypoxic Glioblastoma Tumor Immune Microenvironment into Improved Outcomes
This project uses a new PET/MRI scan enhanced with tiny iron nanoparticles alongside drugs that change tumor immune cells to try to improve outcomes for adults with glioblastoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11383536 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will use a specialized PET/MRI scan (with iron nanoparticle contrast and 18F-fluoromisonidazole) to map low-oxygen, immune-suppressive regions inside glioblastoma tumors. They will create a numeric SELFI hypoxic fraction from those images to show how much of the tumor is hypoxic and linked to suppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). The team will give treatments designed to alter TAMs and repeatedly image the tumor to see whether the hypoxic immune environment changes. Imaging results will be compared with treatment responses to learn whether changing TAMs makes standard therapies work better in specific tumor regions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (typically 21 years or older) with a diagnosis of glioblastoma who can undergo advanced PET/MRI scans and receive immune-modulating treatments would be the best fit.
Not a fit: Children, people with non-glioblastoma brain tumors, or those who cannot have MRI scans or tolerate the proposed immune-targeting drugs are unlikely to benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help doctors identify and target the most treatment-resistant, low-oxygen parts of glioblastoma to improve therapy effectiveness.
How similar studies have performed: Related PET/MRI imaging and early TAM-targeting approaches have shown promising early signals, but the nanoparticle-enhanced SELFI imaging combined with TAM modulators is a novel combination.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barajas, Ramon Francisco — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Barajas, Ramon Francisco
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 below.