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Studierende sitzt am Arbeitsplatz und schaut auf den Laptop. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund
Medical physics and radiotherapy

Understanding the brain better at the molecular level

© André Wirsig​/​University Hospital Dresden
Researchers are investigating the biological mechanisms of radiation-induced brain damage in order to better predict the risk of side effects.
What happens in the brain after radiotherapy? And how do any changes affect brain function and the quality of life of those affected? An interdisciplinary joint project, which brings together researchers from five locations and is funded by the federal government with over two million euros, is investigating these questions. Medical physicist Prof. Armin Lühr from TU Dortmund University is involved. He combines data from imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with data from detailed tissue examinations in order to investigate the molecular and cellular causes of abnormal MRI images and predict changes in the brain.

Brain tumors are among the most common diseases that require radiotherapy. Although the treatment is effective, healthy brain cells can also be damaged in the long term depending on the location and size of the irradiated brain areas and the intensity of the radiation. In around a fifth of those treated, visible changes in the healthy brain can later be seen on an MRI scan. In up to 20 percent of cases, these changes can cause symptoms and limit quality of life.

The new project "UncovRT"(Uncover molecular mechanisms of side effects after cranial Radiation Therapy to improve quality of life for long term survivors of brain cancer) aims to systematically record the influence of treatment-related changes in the brain on quality of life and brain function in adult patients and children for the first time. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is funding the project with around two million euros as part of the "National Decade Against Cancer". The initiative also funds research projects in the field of cancer survivors, as cancer survivors often have to deal with the long-term consequences of their disease or the therapy used to treat it.

Developing prediction models for late effects

The interdisciplinary consortium is led by Prof. Mechthild Krause, Professor of Translational Radiation Oncology at TU Dortmund University and Director of the Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, and brings together scientists from research institutions in Dresden, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Essen and Dortmund. The team will set up a joint database for clinical, translational and preclinical data. This will form the basis for analyzing changes in the brain observed in follow-up MRIs that can occur after radiation treatment. In preclinical studies using mouse models, the groups from Dresden, Hamburg and Heidelberg are investigating the biological mechanisms of radiation-induced brain damage and identifying molecular parameters that can predict the risk of such damage. "Together, we want to further develop prediction models that will use MRI images to estimate whether, when and in which area of the brain late effects could occur," says Prof. Armin Lühr, Chair of Medical Physics and Radiotherapy at the TU Dortmund University's Department of Physics. A particular focus is on gaining a better understanding of the temporal course of these processes in order to determine suitable times for preventive or therapeutic measures.

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