Grant: Project Grant

In brain cancer, patients usually receive a treatment in the form of targeted radiation rays (radiotherapy). Radiotherapy has evolved, and we can now give brain tumors a huge dose of radiation while the rest of the brain is relatively unharmed. However, regions close to the tumors can still take quite a beating. Sadly, this can cause severe side effects, going all the way from drowsiness to dementia. To prevent these side effects, we must understand better why these occurs. We know that these effects are partially caused by inflammation. Inflammation is the normal reaction of the body to damage - a response that include sending specialized cells - the white blood cells - where damage is detected. Inflammation is very important for wound healing, but if it does not subside in time, it can cause more damage than the wound itself. Prof. Lepage and his team will be working on how we can use current imaging methods - scanners that can see inside you - to predict and detect inflammation. Using this knowledge, we will be able to test methods to reduce side-effects, and methods to use inflammation to our advantage to better cure brain tumors.