Advanced Patient Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy

Hybrid imaging, pioneered by Professor Ora Israel, combines radionuclide PET and SPECT imaging with multi-slice CT technologies to acquire functional and anatomical information, with clinical applications in oncology (early detection of cancer, follow-up of therapeutic response and patient management), infectious diseases (localizing the source of infections in patients with prolonged fever, with complications of diabetes, following major surgery, and following the response to treatment) and cardiology (assessment of hemodynamically significant coronary artery disease, assessment of heart contractility).
The next stage in the technological pathway utilizes this functional imaging, combined with the development of molecules for precision targeting of pathological growths and structures, mainly in oncologic applications. Rambam scientists, in collaboration with Technion molecular engineers, have already achieved promising results using toxins coupled to tumor specific immunogens, and have combined this approach in experimental models employing embryonic stem cell and microenvironment platforms.