Welcome to the PET-DT webpage (2025-2027)

This project is funded by The Royal Society for precision medicine and is in collaboration between Middlesex University, London and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan .

Project title:

PET/MRI enabled theranostic digital twins for personalised precision radiotherapy for brain metastases and tumour (PET-DT)

Summary:

Brain tumours (BT) kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. 50+% BT are brain metastases (BM). BT have poor prognosis and directly impact severely neurologic function, psychological health and quality of life. Standard treatment for BM and BT comprises surgical resection, radiotherapy (RT) or surgery with RT. The effectiveness of a treatment is evaluated through radiomics (feature-based or deep learning-based from CT, MRI, or PET images) as a standard. However, the treatment response depends not only on size but also on the structure of metastases which may contain tumour cells and tissue compartments of contradicting radio-sensitivity. Hence the current ‘one-size-fits-all’ paradigm where the same amount of therapeutic activity per cycle is administered lacks consideration of individual characteristics and features as well as inter-variability in radiation biology and immunological factors, leading to substandard treatment outcomes. This PET-DT interdisciplinary researcher-exchange project aims to develop novel computational techniques using digital twin (DT) technology to achieve personalised precision radiotherapy planning and prediction for brain tumour and metastases treatment. The emerging hybrid imaging technique of Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET/MRI) will be employed to simulate and analyse quantitatively the metabolic functional data and physiological information.

Project Investigators:

Prof. Xiaohong (Sharon) W. Gao (Leader), Department of Computer Science, Middlesex Uinveristy, London, NW4 4BT, UK.

Prof. Jyh-Cheng Chen , Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan.

Project Collaborators and project members:

Dr.Yu-Yi Huang (MD), director of the nuclear medicine department of Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, Taiwan.

Dr. Guan-Lin Liu, UK

Ms. Chia-Hui Sophie Chien, UK

Dr. Dr. Annisa Ristrya Rahmanti, UK

Dr. Amja Manullang, UK