Two grants totaling $175,000 will fund the research of Mark Shiroishi, assistant professor in neuroradiology at the Keck School of Medicine, who is studying outcomes of imaging of brain cancer tumors.
Shiroishi has won $150,000 from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and a $25,000 USC Zumberge Individual Research grant to study outcomes of perfusion and permeability imaging of high-grade gliomas.
Currently, contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to determine whether a glioma is being affected by the typical three-pronged treatment of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
However, this method does not provide conclusive evidence for clinicians that a tumor is growing or has changed because it has been affected by treatment.
The main method of tracking therapeutic response is to use contrast MRI, but it really doesnt tell the clinician if treatment is working, said Shiroishi. High grade glioma is a horrible prognosis and is highly resistant to therapy. If we could figure out sooner whether a patient is responding to therapy, it may impact how we view and treat these patients.
The RSNA grant will be awarded over a two-year period and the Zumberge grant over a one-year period. Shiroishi is being mentored by Meng Law, director of neuroradiology and professor of radiology and neurological surgery at the Keck School of Medicine.