Overview

Co-program Leader: Dr. Martin Yaffe, Tory Chair in Cancer Research and Senior Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Professor, Departments of Medical Biophysics and Medical Imaging, University of Toronto.

Co-program Leader: Dr. Aaron Fenster, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, Director, Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, Professor and Chair, Division of Imaging Sciences, Department of Medical Imaging, the University of Western Ontario.

The goal of the Smarter Imaging Program is to increase both the sensitivity (earlier detection) and specificity (more accurate diagnosis) of cancer imaging and to utilize information from images to help optimize selection of therapy to avoid over- or under-treatment of disease.

Cancer is frequently detected when it has invaded surrounding tissue and spread more widely within the body. Cancers also vary in their characteristics, so an approach of one treatment for all is seldom optimal. By detecting cancers earlier and treating them with the most appropriate therapy, researchers could make major inroads against this disease.

The Program is focused on imaging technology and probes that target biomarkers representing molecular, physical or functional changes associated with cancer to diagnose and treat it most effectively.

The Smarter Imaging Program is working with the Imaging Translation Platform to develop and translate tools and techniques for earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer into clinical practices by exploiting major recent advances in molecular biology, chemistry and physics.

Subprograms

Cancer Imaging with Ultrasound Probes
MRI Probes
Radionuclide probes
Probes for Optical and Tomographic Imaging
Cancer stem cells and single cell tracking