Multimodal Imaging

The overall purpose of this multidisciplinary project is to increase the diagnostic accuracy of guided prostate cancer biopsy by developing and testing a novel, clinically translatable real-time acquisition and analysis platform for acquiring fused hyperpolarized 13C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and molecular ultrasound (US) imaging data sets. The methods will be validated in a large animal model of normal prostate and prostate cancer, providing the key preliminary data needed for a subsequent clinical trial. Studies are being conducted on Stanford’s new GE PET-MRI system with the focus on multi-modality image fusion software integration, 13C RF coils / PET acquisition compatibility assessment, and overall workflow optimization.

This  interdisciplinary collaboration promotes crosspollination of ideas among basic and clinical research scientists in the Department of Radiology and other Stanford departments. The project will enable discovery at the intersection of multiple technologies including hyperpolarized MRS, PET, and molecular ultrasound imaging, each providing complementary information to better understand the biology of prostate cancer and improve detection and prognostication of prostate cancer in patients. We anticipate that this research project will have a high impact on managing and triaging prostate cancer patients in the future.

RSL locations

The Richard M. Lucas Center for Medical Imaging

1201 Welch Rd, Stanford CA 94305-5488

Stanford School of Medicine Technology & Innovation Park

3155 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304