Dr. Fabian Kießling
F.Kiessling@dkfz.de

Dr. Martin Krix
M.Krix@dkfz.de

Dr. Margareta Müller
Ma.Mueller@dkfz.de

Department of Medical Physics in Radiology, DKFZ
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 422 533
Fax: +49 (0)6221 422 462


The assessment of functional vascular parameters such as perfusion, permeability, and their regulation is a prerequisite for a better understanding of tumor vascularization, and for more effective vascular-oriented tumor therapy. By the correlation of histological parameters, such as vascular density, with functional parameters from contrast-enhanced ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the pathophysiological consequences of capillary renewal and regression can be assessed during tumor growth as well as during therapy.

This Z-project provides the members of the Trans-Regio project consortium with established non-invasive imaging techniques to assess tissue morphology and visualize microvessels as well as to determine parameters of tissue perfusion and vessel permeability. Imaging will be performed using standard MRI (scaled down from the patient application to small animals), micro-MR angiography, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, and contrast-enhanced power Doppler sonography.

To guarantee a high imaging standard, micro-morphological, functional and molecular imaging techniques and their application to the characterization of tumor biology will be continually improved. Furthermore, individual adaptation of the methods (hardware and methodology) to the models used by our partners will be made. We also aim at continually optimizing the accuracy of the functional data that can be obtained relating to blood volume, perfusion and vessel permeability by the development of advanced scanning techniques, post-processing modeling, and software.

Another aim is to develop a non-invasive progenitor cell tracking method into our service offer. This approach will provide important insight into the role of these cells in the formation of vessels and stroma in tumors. By labeling progenitor cells in vitro with superparamagnetic iron oxide particles prior to their transfer into an organism, it will be possible to monitor their localization in a given target tissue by MRI and to correlate these data with histological analyses of the homing of cells to tumor stroma and vascular bed. This method has already been established in our institution with MRI and is currently optimized for service. According to the individual demands of our partners, improvements are required to increase the labeling efficacy of cells in different states of differentiation with the superparamagnetic particles.

Volumetric Computed Tomography (VCT)