# MRI Signatures of Response to High-Dose Radiotherapy in Rat Models of Cerebral Tumor

> **NIH NIH R01** · HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM · 2021 · $488,310

## Abstract

In some cases, e.g. small brain tumor metastases, responses to single or multiple fraction high-dose radiation
therapy (HD-RT) have been remarkable, suggesting that HD-RT tumor control is at least as effective as
biologically equivalent doses of conventional fractionated radiation therapy (CF-RT), even in radioresistant
tumors. Although the mechanism for its effectiveness is not well understood, HD-RT is becoming accepted
practice for a variety of tumors, including brain tumors.
Our recent preclinical study using MRI measures of short-term changes in tumor physiology after HD-RT in a
small-animal model of cerebral tumor suggests a physiological response that includes vascular effects, but is
multifactorial and temporally variable. Hypothesizing that these short-term changes may both explain the
increased effectiveness of HD-RT, and serve as a predictor of long-term response, we propose to investigate
the relationship between short-term physiological changes after HD-RT and long-term outcome as a result of
that therapy. In counterpoint, we will also study physiological changes during and after CF-RT. Detailed
poroelastic modeling is proposed to generate a map of local solid and fluid parameters (stress, flow) that will
help explain short-term changes in physiology. Aim 1 studies short-term changes in measures of tumor
physiology as predictors of response. Aim 2 describes the behavior of these same measures over the course
of CF-RT. Our long-range goals are to develop noninvasive biomarkers of response that predict tumor control
after HD-RT and CF-RT, and to describe physiological changes and related biomarkers that might be used to
optimize the order and timing of RT and adjuvant chemotherapies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10148701
- **Project number:** 5R01CA218596-04
- **Recipient organization:** HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen L Brown
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $488,310
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10148701

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10148701, MRI Signatures of Response to High-Dose Radiotherapy in Rat Models of Cerebral Tumor (5R01CA218596-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10148701. Licensed CC0.

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