# Program 3: Free Radical Metabolism and Imaging

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2020 · $30,037

## Abstract

During the past two decades a significant body of evidence has accumulated showing that metabolic 
oxidation/reduction reactions represent a significant underlying mechanism contributing to promotion and 
progression of malignancy, as well as a therapeutic target for selectively sensitizing cancer cells to therapeutic 
interventions. Evolving in parallel has been the recognition that advanced medical imaging techniques, 
measuring metabolic changes in cancer versus normal tissues before and during therapy show great promise 
in allowing non-invasive quantitation and monitoring of fundamental differences in cancer cell metabolism to 
improve cancer therapy. The Free Radical Metabolism and Imaging (FRMI) Program (32 full members and 9 
associate members) representing 3 colleges and 10 departments was formed by a merger in 2014 of former 
programs in Free Radical Cancer Biology and Tumor Imaging to take full advantage of the convergence of the 
science in these two disciplines. 
The FRMI program has four research themes: 1) Free Radical Cancer Biology, the study of fundamental 
differences in redox biochemistry and its impact on cell signaling, genetics and epigenetics in cancer biology 
and therapy; 2) Redox-Based Therapeutics, the development and testing of novel cancer therapeutics based 
on exploiting fundamental differences in free radical metabolism to selectively eradicate cancer cells while 
protecting normal tissues; 3) Patient Outcomes and Molecular Imaging, the development of novel image- 
guided therapy approaches for enhancing and predicting patient outcomes in cancer therapy using molecular 
and metabolic imaging techniques; and 4) Novel Approaches to Diagnostic Imaging, the development of novel 
approaches that integrate state-of-the-art functional and anatomic imaging techniques into cancer biology and 
therapy. 
FRMI members were highly collaborative during the last period of support with a total of 250 cancer relevant 
publications (2011-2015) including 53% (n=133) involving collaborations between 2 or more members of the 
HCCC. Of the collaborative publications, 66% (n=88) were intra-programmatic and 60% (n=81) were inter- 
programmatic. In addition, 30% (n=76) were interinstitutional with members of the program co-authoring 45 
publications with faculty members at other cancer centers in the United States. Ten manuscripts were 
published in high impact journals (impact factor ≥10). The program members were supported by $5,857,820 of 
total peer-reviewed funding and $2,699,266 of NCI funding in the last year of CCSG support. The successful 
completion of the research initiatives pursued by FRMI would involve preclinical and clinical verification of a 
paradigm shifting approach for targeting oxidative metabolic processes in cancer cells as indicated by selective 
enhancement of therapeutic outcomes, and implementation of new image-based approaches to predicting 
clinical outcomes, monitoring response and guiding decision-making.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9914258
- **Project number:** 5P30CA086862-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Douglas Robert Spitz
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $30,037
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9914258

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9914258, Program 3: Free Radical Metabolism and Imaging (5P30CA086862-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-14 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9914258. Licensed CC0.

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