Special Issue "DCE-MRI in Preclinical Imaging"

Guest Editor
Dr. Veerle Kersemans
Department of Oncology, CRUK/MRC Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, University of Oxford, Off Roosevelt Drive, Churchill Hospital, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
E-Mail: Veerle.Kersemans@oncology.ox.ac.uk
Phone: +44 186 585 7124
Fax: +44 186 585 7127

Dear Colleagues,

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is a method of investigating microvascular structure and function by tracking the pharmacokinetics of injected low-molecular weight contrast agents as they pass through the tumour vasculature. It is sensitive to changes in tumour blood perfusion and vascular permeability and has been applied for cancer detection, characterisation, staging and therapy monitoring. The technique is promising and has been proposed as a method to improve the diagnostic specificity of MRI.

The accuracy of DCE-MRI relies on the ability to model the pharmacokinetics of an injected contrast agent, using the signal intensity changes on sequential magnetic resonance images. Depending on the application, DCE-MRI measurements have included semi-quantitative analysis of the time-intensity curves such as the maximal enhancement, time to peak enhancement, enhancement gradient and signal enhancement ratio, or quantitative pharmacokinetic modelling parameters such as K^trans.

This collection of reviews provides an overview of DCE-MRI in preclinical imaging, from image acquisition and data analysis methods to its applications and translation into clinic. Proposed topics covered in special issue:

• Image acquisition and quantification
• Arterial input function, a requisite for quantitative DCE-MRI analysis?
• Validation of DCE-MRI
• Applications for DCE-MRI: an overview
• DCE-MRI as an imaging biomarker for anti-vascular therapy
• DCE-MRI in radiation therapy applications
• Preclinical DCE-MRI and its translation into clinic

Dr Veerle Kersemans
Guest Editor

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed Open Access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 300 CHF (Swiss Francs). English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.

• DCE-MRI
• quantification
• arterial input function
• applications
• imaging biomarker

Feature Paper
Type of Paper: Review
Title: DCE-MRI in Preclinical Research on Antivascular Treatments
Authors: Thomas Nielsen, Thomas Wittenborn and Michael R. Horsman
Affiliation: Dept. Experimental Clinical Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 5, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
Abstract: Antivascular treatments can either be antiangiogenic or targeting established tumour vasculature. These treatments affect the tumour microvasculature and microenvironment but may not change clinical measures like tumour volume and growth. In research on antivascular treatments, information on the tumour vasculature is therefore essential. Preclinical research is often used for optimization of antivascular drugs alone or in combined treatments. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is an in vivo imaging method providing vascular information, which has become an important tool in both preclinical and clinical research. This review discusses common DCE-MRI imaging protocols and analysis methods and provides an overview of preclinical research on antivascular treatments utilizing DCE-MRI.

Feature Paper
Type of Paper: Review
Title: Practical Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI and Correlation with Diffusion MRI, FLT-PET, FMISO-PET, and FDG-PET in Small Animal Models of Cancer
Author: Thomas Yankeelov
Affiliation: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Abstract: Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) consists of the continuous acquisition of images before, during, and after the injection of a contrast agent.  Proper analysis of DCE-MRI data allows for the estimation of parameters related to vascularity and cellularity.  This review aims to provide practical information on the development, implementation, and validation of DCE-MRI in the context of a pre-clinical study.  Additionally, we discuss the (potential) relationships between DCE-MRI parameters and those obtained from other common imaging techniques such as diffusion weighted MRI, 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (PET), 3’-deoxy-3’-[18F]fluorothymidine PET, and [18F]-fluoromisonidazole PET studies.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: The Effects of Organic Nitrates on Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density and Marrow Blood Perfusion in Ovariectomized Female Rats
Authors: Y-X. Wang, M. Deng, and J. F. Griffith
Affiliation: Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
Abstract: Recent evidences suggest that nitrates, drugs typically prescribed for the treatment of angina, may be effective in preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis. However, the mechanism of how nitrates influence bone mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated the relation among the effect of nitrates on bone marrow perfusion and bone mineral density in female ovariectomized rats. This study shows isosorbide-5-mononitrate orally administered 50 mg/kg per day b.i.d partially prevented the lumbar spine bone loss due to ovariectomy, and maintained the blood perfusion in lumbar vertebral marrow. Histology showed vertebral marrow composition reflected these changes.