Hypoxia in the Tumor Immune Microenvironment (TIME)

Certain cancers may exhibit treatment resistance to modern therapies including checkpoint inhibitors. In many cases, aspects of the tumor microenvironment can influence how aggressive a tumor is and/or correlate with underlying treatment resistance. Several tumor microenvironment biomarkers have been correlated with cancer aggression and patient outcomes, including tumor pH, hypoxia, and angiogenesis.

Here, we will review in vivo (e.g. PET/MR) and cellular and molecular (e.g. MRI/NMR spectroscopy) preclinical studies that provide new insights of varied tumor profiles/types and the underlying interplay in PD-L1 status, hypoxia, and fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment. Such insights pave the way for improved therapies.

This topic will be relevant to researchers involved in PET tracer development, cancer biology and therapeutics, and specifically nuclear imaging specialists.

Presenter: Zaver M. Bhujwalla, PhD (Professor, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Zaver M. Bhujwalla is the William R. Brody Professor in the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Bhujwalla holds joint appointments in Oncology, and in Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences. Dr. Bhujwalla’s work is dedicated to the applications of molecular and functional imaging in cancer with a focus on the tumor microenvironment, cancer-induced cachexia, and theranostic imaging.