University of California San Francisco Brain Tumor SPORE Update

Modern imaging techniques like computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have revolutionized diagnostics in all fields of medicine, enabling physicians to obtain detailed scans of tissues with minimal discomfort to their patients. These technologies are vital at all stages in the treatment of patients who have brain tumors: in the initial diagnosis, for surgical planning, for the identification of postoperative complications, and in monitoring for recurrence or progression. Cutting-edge imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) and perfusion MRI (pMRI), are under active investigation by both clinical and basic science researchers to determine what applications they may have in obtaining a better understanding of brain tumors. In the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) for the study of brain tumors at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), we are especially interested in MRSI because it can provide information about specific metabolites in the brain (such as N-acetylaspartate, choline, and lactate) and changes they undergo that may be prognostic for patients with a brain tumor. One of the four major translational research projects in our SPORE grant, led by investigators Sarah Nelson PhD and Susan Chang MD, is Prognostic Value of MRSI Parameters for Patients with Glioma—work that aims to determine whether quantitative information derived from data obtained from MRSI scans of patients with glioma are predictive of their response to therapy. In this project, as in any neurosurgical research using radiologic techniques, Department of Neurological Surgery investigators work closely with our colleagues in the Department of Radiology at UCSF, including the Neuroradiology Section and the Section of Interventional Neuroradiology. In November 2002, the Department of Radiology received permission from the UC Board of Regents to enter into a lease agreement for approximately 50,000 square feet of commercial space at China Basin Landing close to UCSF’s new development at Mission Bay, which includes the Cancer Research facility. This site will house San Francisco’s first T3 MRI unit, as well as other clinical and research MRI and CT scanners, new laboratories, and clinical space. The expanded prospects for research provided by this new facility are a foundation for hope, giving the gifted investigators of UCSF’s brain tumor SPORE greater opportunities to work collaboratively and to exercise their commitment to making more rapid progress toward an eventual cure for brain tumors.