In August 2001, AdMeTech Foundation, with support of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, had convened a meeting of the pioneers of molecular imaging with the leaders of prostate cancer research in the areas of medical oncology, urologic surgery, radiation medicine and pathology. As the result of this event, the field of molecular imaging of prostate cancer has been established and the following research projects have been developed and funded:

1) Dr. William Sellers (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University)

Key Accomplishment: 
Fundamental discovery that would make it possible to determine from prostate imaging if cancer treatment is effective as early as 24 to 48 hours after its administration and long before currently possible. This discovery addresses the critical need to have tools for early assessment of treatment response that would make it possible to avoid ineffective, expensive treatment that usually causes major complications and reduction in the quality of life. 

Timeline of Accomplishment: 
Within 6 months 1 post-grant award

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
Dr. Sellers is a medical oncologist who had not been involved in prostate imaging until he participated in the AdMeTech’s Public Conference of February 1999 and our Brain Trust meeting of August 2001.

2) Dr. Irving Bigio (Boston University)

Key Accomplishment: 
Pioneered development of the new generation of prostate-dedicated novel optical technology to improve early detection and guidance of biopsy. 

Timeline of Accomplishment: 
Within 1 year post-grant award

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
Dr. Bigio, one of the top leaders in optical imaging, has not worked in the area of prostate cancer until he participated in the AdMeTech’s public conferences and brain trust meetings, starting in June 1999.

 

By 2005, AdMeTech Foundation’s Brain Trust meetings emerged as one of the most important directions of AdMeTech’s research program. The 2005-2007 Brain Trust meetings and Public Conferences made a profound impact on research and education in the area of prostate imaging and image-guided treatment.
AdMeTech Foundation held multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional Brain Trust meetings in February 2004, October 2005, March 2006 and a comparable set of meetings in early 2007. These meetings evaluated and determined the emerging  research priorities, developed novel research ideas and selected high-impact projects.  Participants in those meetings included not only leading researchers, but also representatives of all major funding entities including Michael Milken’s Prostate Cancer Foundation, Department of Defense, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and National Cancer Institute to ensure that AdMeTech Foundation selects the unique research that's not funded by other entities and to ensure the continuity of the selected research projects. This format also gives an opportunity for each major funding entity to coordinate their efforts and make strategic decisions.

The research conducted between 2005 and 2008 was the direct result of the Brain Trust meetings of February 2004, October 2005, March 2006, and early 2007 and continued to result in the development of novel, breakthrough imaging methods for early detection, accurate diagnosis, and minimally-invasive treatment of prostate cancer.  These imaging methods are based on visualization of molecular markers which have been shown to be specific to prostate cancer.  Each team identified a novel imaging agent that made it possible to target prostate cancer-specific molecules.  The specific major goals accomplished by each subcontract are summarized below:

1) Dr. Martin Pomper (Johns Hopkins University)

Key Accomplishment: 
Developed a new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agent, and the preliminary results are so promising that they warranted human imaging.  The potential of this work was recognized with grants from the prestigious Patrick Walsh Foundation and the National Institute of Health, which provided further funding for its continuation.

Timeline of Accomplishment: 
Within one year after funding

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
Dr. Pomper, one of the leaders of molecular imaging, has not been involved with prostate imaging until he participated in the AdMeTech Foundation’s Brain Trust meeting of August 2001. Since that time, prostate imaging has become the major focus of this research.

2) Dr. Angelo DeMarzo (Johns Hopkins University)

Key Accomplishment: 
Dr. DeMarzo’s team successfully identified molecular markers for the AMACR gene, and demonstrated their specificity to prostate cancer, as opposed to benign tissue. In addition, Dr. DeMarzo created a vector system for the delivery of imaging agents for the visualization the AMACR gene in vivo. Sufficient sensitivity of this novel imaging method to detect prostate cancer was achieved in animal models.  The exciting promise of this research was recognized by an award from the National Medical Association at its 2005 Annual Meeting.

Timeline of Accomplishment: 
Within one year after funding

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
Dr. DeMarzo is one of the pioneers of molecular pathology of prostate cancer who was not involved in prostate imaging until he participated in our Brain Trust meetings and public conferences starting in 1999.

3) Dr. Kimberly Kelly and Dr. Ralph Weissleder (Massachusetts General Hospital)

Key Accomplishment: 
Dr. Kelly’s team pioneered an imaging method that targeted the visualization of the molecular marker Hepsin. Dr. Kelly discovered that the Hepsin-specific peptide was able to bind selectively to prostate cancer. The results indicate a breakthrough potential of this imaging method: The Hepsin-specific peptide was able to diagnose prostate cancer with a specificity of 100%, a false positive rate of 0%, and a false negative rate of 0%. This research was published in Cancer Research.

Timeline of Accomplishment: 
Within one year after funding

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
Dr. Kelly is a member of the world-leading molecular imaging team of Dr. Ralph Weissleder, and this funding made it possible for her to focus on this exciting project in prostate imaging.

4) Dr. Mark Rosen (University of Pennsylvania)

Key Goal: To identify whether ultra-high resolution, experimental high-field (3 Tesla) MRI improves localization and staging of prostate cancer in the first clinical trial of its kind (currently under way). 

5) Dr. Ulrich von Andrian (Harvard Medical School)

Key Goal: To develop a murine imaging model to visualize transplanted prostate tumors at single cell resolution using unique multiphoton intravital microscopy developed in Dr. Van Adrian’s laboratory with other funding. They hypothesize that this model will allow for the dynamic monitoring of tumor cell death in response to treatment. If successful, this approach will be more broadly applicable to monitoring efficacy or novel therapies for prostate cancer at a single cell level (currently in progress).

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
Dr. Van Adrian did not consider to apply his unique optical technology to prostate cancer imaging until he and his team participated in the AdMeTech’s Brain Trust meetings in 2006.

6) Dr. Nathan McDannold and Dr. Clare Tempany (Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School)

Key Goals: Test to see whether image-guided, minimally-invasive thermal ablation methods for the treatment of prostate cancer can be improved by applying functional MRI techniques to assess tissue perfusion, oxygenation, and temperature before and after treatment.  These studies will have the potential to substantially improve thermal cancer therapies through optimization of treatment planning and monitoring.

Impact on the attraction of talented investigators into prostate imaging:
As a result of this funding, Dr. McDannold has been leading the field of focal ultrasound focused on MRI-guided thermal ablation of prostate cancer.

AdMeTech has had a series of Brain Trust meetings in prostate MRI in 2007 and 2008, followed by the Consensus Conference in January 2009. As the result of these meetings, prostate MRI was identified as the most promising and mature experimental imaging tool for prostate cancer, and AdMeTech funded the International Prostate MRI Working Group. The goal of this research program is to develop and implement a short-and long-term research strategy and to expedite development and testing of prostate MRI, which has been shown in preliminary studies in the US and Europe to improve detection, staging and treatment of prostate cancer. This program supports critical, potentially breakthrough areas of research in MRI and molecular imaging conducted at the Harvard Medical School, University of Nijmegen in Holland, University of Chicago, UCSF, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Johns Hopkins.

International Prostate MRI Working Group...read more

The proposed study represents a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research program devoted to the facilitated advancement of prostate MRI and designed based on the Brain Trust meetings held in February 2007, July, 2007, May 2008, and January 2009. This work continues and expands a research program devoted to Molecular Imaging of Prostate Cancer (DAMD 17-03-2-0055) created, coordinated, and managed by AdMeTech Foundation.

The primary objective of this research is three-fold:

1. To establish an International Prostate MRI Working Group that will accomplish the following goals:

a. Expedite development and testing of MRI/MRS, currently considered the most promising clinical imaging technology for prostate cancer for diagnosis and assessment of treatment; and

b. Develop near and long-term research strategy for facilitated advancement of MRI/MRS. This will include development of technical specifications, standards, and quality control for clinical testing.

2. To continue expansion of a multi-disciplinary ongoing consortium/Brain Trust on Molecular Imaging of Prostate Cancer for strategic planning to stimulate novel ideas and to expedite fundamental discovery, feasibility studies and technologic innovation.

3. To continue research dedicated to the development of testing of promising PSMA-based molecular imaging agent.

Researchers/Subcontractors

Dr. John Kurhanewicz, University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Clare Tempany, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Melvin Clouse, Harvard Medical School & Deaconess Collaborative
Dr. Aytekin Oto, University of Chicago
Dr. Jurgen Futterer, University of Nijmegen, Holland
Dr. Robert Mulkern, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Amita Dave, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Martin Leach, Royal Marsden Hospital, United Kingdom
Dr. Martin Pomper, Johns Hopkins Medical School

Strategic Planning

Continue to expand the organizational and administrative infrastructure of the AdMeTech’s Research Program, which integrates the key personnel, expertise, technologies, resources and environment of all the participating institutions to facilitate advancement of prostate MRI and molecular imaging in general. Jointly with the National Institutes of Health in January 2009, AdMeTech convened Consensus Conference which reviewed the current state of the art in prostate cancer care, identified critical clinical needs and developed future research strategy to address them. It was preceded by the meeting of the Organizing Committee in July 2008, which had framed the conference agenda and recommended faculty members.

Expected Outcomes

1) It is anticipated that a comprehensive research strategy for the field of prostate MRI will be created that will facilitate advancement, clinical testing and implementation of this technology;

2) It is anticipated that critical technical areas in prostate MRI will be advanced and pilot studies will be completed to demonstrate the value of prostate MRI in early detection and prediction of tumor response to radiation treatment;

3) It is anticipated that novel research strategy and novel research ideas will be developed for the high-priority research projects that would facilitate development and implementation of prostate imaging for improved prostate cancer care.