Magnetic hyperthermia guided by molecular and thermal images

• Grant number: 23/03371-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2023
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Medical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Adilton Oliveira Carneiro
• Grantee: Prabu Periyathambi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/16939-8 - Development and implementation of novel acoustic, magnetic and optical techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, AP.TEM

Abstract

In clinical diagnosis, it is very important to detect abnormalities at an early stage of the disease, to provide the correct diagnosis and treatment and increase patient survival. Molecular imaging is used to diagnose molecular anomalies, which in most cases are the basis of the disease. The main modalities of therapeutic treatment and diagnostic imaging for in vivo treatment, commonly found in advanced clinical centers, make use of ionizing radiation, such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) techniques. Recent advances in research in Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound have provided the development of new functional imaging modalities, using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles as contrast. Advances in genomics and molecular biology are creating tools and protocols to identify molecular entities that can be targeted to contrast agents when properly prepared. Along with the progress of non-invasive, high-resolution in vivo imaging technology, molecular imaging has become a growing field of research. In general, in vivo molecular imaging protocols use transducers to detect biological processes without disturbing their function. These transducers are composed of biosensors functionalized with some type of ligand, for example, an antibody, which promotes the accumulation of molecular targets when placed in contact with the pathological region. The reading of this accumulation of molecule targets in the biosensor element is done using physical techniques, such as reading the variation in electrical conductivity, microscopic image, among others, in the biosensor element. Molecular imaging has the potential to identify molecular changes underlying the disease and provide much earlier detection of the disease. In addition, it has the potential to directly visualize the effect of therapy, facilitate the development of new drugs and provide individualized treatment. Recent advances in the development of functionalized magnetic nanoparticles have enabled their use as a contrast in the development of new molecular imaging protocols using magnetic, optical, and ultrasonic techniques (Emelianov, Li, and O'Donnell 2009; Kiessling et al. 2014). The main objective of the studies involving molecular imaging in this project is the development of new technologies for applications in the diagnosis and treatment of cancerous tissues, with breast cancer as the main target. The Medical Instrumentation and Ultrasound Innovation Group (GIIMUS), where this research will be developed, is conducting studies with hybrid techniques involving acoustics, magnetics, and optics for the development of systems and protocols for diagnosis and therapy of biological tissues (Almeida et al. 2015; Uliana et al. 2018).