Monitoring of cancer immunotherapy via PET/MRI

Activation of the body`s immune system by so-called immunotherapies has become an emerging field in cancer treatment. Although immunotherapies show remarkable efficacy in some patients, the majority of patients respond only partially or not at all. In addition, immunotherapies are usually very costly and can also cause severe side effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to predict the therapeutic response of patients on the one hand and also to monitor changes in the immune system during immunotherapy on the other hand. This can be ensured with non-invasive imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET). In this process, a so-called radiotracer, i.e. a drug containing a short-lived radioactive nuclide, is administered to the patient via the vein in a very low dose. This radiotracer can then specifically map the immune system through its properties and consequently visualize the immune response that is required for successful cancer immunotherapy. The present project involves the preclinical evaluation of the radiotracer 18F-FAC for non-invasive monitoring of immune cell activation in lymphoid organs and various tumors in the course of immunotherapy. Additional analyses of collected tissue samples will allow to determine the interplay between immune cell populations and immune response. Thus, the present research project will contribute to the development of immunoimaging and ultimately help to improve immunotherapies towards precision medicine.