LabTAU seminar-Harmonic Motion Imaging for pancreatic cancer detection and treatment monitoring

Author: Thomas Payen
Summary: Harmonic Motion Imaging for pancreatic cancer detection and treatment monitoring- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the deadliest cancers mostly because of late detection due to lack of or unspecific symptoms. One of the main characteristics of PDA is its unusually dense stroma which lower chemotherapy perfusion and efficiency. Developing an imaging technique fit for screening purposes and capable of probing this deep-seeded organ is crucial to improve pancreatic cancer prognosis. During my postdoc at Columbia university, I worked on developing an elastography technique called Harmonic Motion Imaging (HMI) based on an amplitude modulated HIFU signal. The technique was performed in vivo in genetically-engineered mouse models for early tumor detection, pancreatic tissue characterization, and treatment monitoring. HMI was shown to be capable of differentiating healthy pancreas, PDA, and even premalignant pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs), showing that pancreatic tissues get stiffer as the disease progresses. The mechanical response of tumor tissue to HIFU ablation, chemotherapy and stroma depleting enzyme were all successfully monitored with HMI. Finally, HMI was transferred to postsurgical human specimen to demonstrate its feasibility. The technique was capable of detecting both the tumor within perilesional tissue, and regions with normal tissue. In addition, response to neoadjuvant therapy (chemotherapy and radiations) were detected in tumor and normal pancreatic tissue. HMI could potentially prove to be highly beneficial in pancreatic cancer to improve its poor clinical prognosis with early detection, specific characterization, and treatment monitoring
Time:11:00
Place: Salle de réunion LabTAU 151 Cours A.Thomas Lyon