Wayne State University researchers awarded $2.54 million NIH grant to advance brain cancer imaging

DETROIT - Researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $2.54 million grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to improve the detection and treatment of aggressive brain tumors.

The grant will fund critical research into tryptophan-kynurenine pathway PET imaging in human gliomas, with a focus on glioblastoma, the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.

A central challenge in treating malignant gliomas is that tumor cells frequently invade surrounding healthy brain tissue in subtle ways that standard Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) cannot fully detect. Furthermore, after patients receive radiation therapy, physicians often face difficulty distinguishing between growing tumor tissue and radiation-induced brain injury, leading to treatment delays.

To solve this clinical bottleneck, co-principal investigators Dr. Csaba Juhasz, professor of pediatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, and Dr. Otto Muzik, professor of pediatrics, neurology and radiology, are leading a multidisciplinary team to evaluate an innovative positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracer.

The project builds on landmark research by Dr. Juhasz and his team, who pioneered using tryptophan-based imaging to visualize brain tumors. Cancer cells utilize tryptophan, an essential amino acid, to produce kynurenine, a compound that helps tumors evade the body's immune system response. While earlier studies proved tryptophan PET could map hidden tumor infiltration, the original tracer relied on carbon-11, a short-lived radioactive isotope that limited its clinical application.

The new project transitions to a fluorine-18 tracer developed by the Wayne State team in collaboration with Dr. Huailei Jiang, director of the Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Core at the Karmanos Cancer Institute PET Center. With a significantly longer half-life, fluorine-18 makes the imaging technique far more practical for everyday clinical use.

"Our goal is to give physicians a clearer, highly precise map of active tumor tissue before and after treatment," said Juhasz. "By better targeting active cancer cells and distinguishing recurrence from treatment side effects, we aim to make treatments more effective and ultimately extend patient survival."

The novel tracer recently received Investigational New Drug approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human clinical trials and is currently available exclusively in Detroit. Using Karmanos' advanced clinical PET/CT scanner, researchers will construct detailed, quantitative maps to show how tryptophan metabolic pathways operate inside tumors, pinpointing the most biologically active regions to guide surgical and radiation planning.

"This NIH award highlights Wayne State University's commitment to conducting research that directly benefits our Detroit community and beyond," said Dr. Ezemenari M. Obasi, vice president for research & innovation at Wayne State. "Malignant brain cancer is an extraordinarily difficult disease, and having this level of cutting-edge imaging technology being developed here in Detroit will ensure that our local patients gain early access to life-saving diagnostic tools. I look forward to the important outcomes of Drs. Juhasz's and Muzik's research, which will have meaningful health impacts for many."

The multidisciplinary project unites experts across several specialties, including Wayne State radiation oncology (Dr. Michael Dominello), neurology (Dr. Geoffrey Barger), neurosurgery (Dr. Partha Chamiraju), oncology (Dr. Anthony Shields and Dr. Wei Chen), pediatrics/translational imaging (Dr. Justin Jeong), and Karmanos Cancer Institute radiology (Dr. Natasha Robinette).

"Glioblastoma remains one of the most formidable challenges in clinical oncology, and improved imaging is essential to advancing how we diagnose and manage this disease," said Dr. Wael Sakr, dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. "This NIH award recognizes the innovative work of Drs. Juhasz and Muzik and the strength of the multidisciplinary team they have assembled. Their research has the potential to provide clinicians with greater insight into the extent and activity of these tumors, supporting more precise and informed treatment decisions for patients with brain cancer."

Acknowledgment and Disclaimer: Research cited in this article was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01CA309136. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu .