Overview

The Radiation Oncology and Imaging Program brings together radiation biologists, imaging scientists, medical physicists, bioengineers, radiation oncologists and radiologists. Its mission is to foster research that brings together clinical, basic science, and engineering approaches. The program uses rigorous, quantitative approaches to facilitate and enhance:

• Detection, diagnosis, and biologic staging of cancer to guide treatment strategies.
• Early response assessment and prediction of long-term clinical outcomes to allow for adaptive treatment.
• Ways to assess the effects of treatment on the function of normal tissue and organs.
• The understanding of mechanisms of tumor response and normal tissue injury from radiation therapy.
• Training of future physicians and scientists with diverse, complementary expertise who will serve as the next generation of leaders in cancer imaging and therapy.

Specific Aims

The program’s specific aims are to foster research interactions that stimulate the integration of basic science, bioengineering, and clinical trials toL

• Increase the local control of tumors by radiation therapy while minimizing side effects.
• Develop and evaluate novel imaging methods and imaging biomarkers for localized and disseminated cancer.

Themes and Areas of Focus

The program focuses on the following themes to accomplish these goals:

• Understand the mechanisms of tumor and normal tissue response to radiation
• Develop and apply imaging methods for the detection and staging of cancer and for image-guided therapy and response assessment.

Theme 1
The program will utilize a multi-disciplinary approach to understand the mechanisms of tumor response to radiation therapy and normal tissue injury from radiation.

• Focus Area 1: Cells, Tissues, and Tumor Response to Radiation
• Focus Area 2: Clinical Trials of Radiation Therapy

Theme 2
Quantitative approaches to imaging methods for detection and staging of cancer, for image-guided therapy, and for early and late response assessment.

• Focus Area 1: Pre-Clinical Imaging
• Focus Area 2: Clinical Imaging to Detect, Stage, and Treat Cancer

Labs

• The Ramanujam Lab
• The Li Lab