FOR2314

Z01-ShRNA Screening und Histopathologie

01.08.2015 bis 31.07.2018

Advanced non-invasive and intravital-microscopic imaging provides powerful tools to reveal
molecular information about cell and tissue metabolism, function and morphology in vivo.
Biomarkers and technologies, which are critical for this research group, are e.g.
measurements of glucose metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, proliferation, hypoxia,
angiogenesis or reactive oxygen species (ROS) by positron emission tomography (PET) or
optical bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging (OI) and microscopy. High-resolution
morphology and changes can be assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the submillimeter
range or by novel ex vivo multiparameter light sheet fluorescence microscopy
(LSFM) down to the submicrometer scale.
One central service of this core unit will be to monitor metabolic changes of tumors in
response to inhibition of an essential cellular process within the tumor models of this
consortium by using various imaging biomarkers and imaging modalities. In combination with
studies in tissue culture and histopathological analyses, this will allow to test whether the
combination of complimentary readout values from different tracers can serve as robust
surrogate marker for complex in vivo molecular processes, such as tumor senescence (e.g.
high or unaltered glucose metabolism/FDG uptake but low proliferation/FLT uptake as
documented for colorectal cancer). Most importantly, metabolic profiles that are measured in
vivo during tumorigenesis and treatment will be cross-validated and correlated with in vitro
tests and histopathological readouts of stress response.