# Annotating Cancer Biology through Non-Invasive Molecular Imaging

> **NIH NIH R35** · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · 2021 · $1,077,600

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Molecular imaging (MI) originated in the need to better understand the fundamental molecular pathways inside
organisms in a noninvasive manner. Over the past two decades, two factors have acted in concert to fuel the
ascent of molecular imaging in both the laboratory and the clinic: (1) an increased understanding of the
molecular mechanisms of disease and (2) the continued development of in vivo imaging technologies, ranging
from improved detectors to novel labeling methodologies. We have established a vibrant and state-of-the-art
laboratory-based translational research program. The Lewis lab portfolio is situated at the intersection of various
disciplines – radiochemistry, cancer biology, chemistry, pharmacology and engineering. Our program has
already demonstrated that our work is not just to generate an “image” but also to non-invasively and
quantitatively measure target biology within a cancer. Even with the extensive preclinical advances in cancer
imaging that we have accomplished and the unparalleled visualization of cancer biology we have achieved, our
ability to translate our findings cannot be understated. Our program has excelled in the clinical translation of new
imaging agents, providing new insights into cancer biology in humans. In the realms of this R35 we plan to focus
on three main areas of discovery: (1) Can our successful imaging agents be transformed into theranostic agents
with the ability to quantify the target through non-invasive imaging while providing concomitant lethality? (2) How
can our theranostic agents be optimally deployed to quantitatively and non-invasively interrogate and treat tumor
heterogeneity? (3) Following conventional and/or novel targeted therapies, can we image cancer-specific
pathways to provide immediate and real-time predictors of response? We will exploit recent findings and novel
methods to answer these questions, using an integrated set of imaging, chemical, genomic and cancer biology
approaches. As such, the questions posed above will be of more general relevance and will allow us to address
concepts related to the interactions between imaging, therapy, and response.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10249950
- **Project number:** 5R35CA232130-03
- **Recipient organization:** SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason S. Lewis
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,077,600
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-04 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10249950

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10249950, Annotating Cancer Biology through Non-Invasive Molecular Imaging (5R35CA232130-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10249950. Licensed CC0.

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