Researcher Database
Jörg Kotzerke
TU Dresden Nuclear Medicine Department
Fetscherstr. 74
01307 Dresden
Program
Radiation Oncology and Imaging (ROI)
Summary
Theranostics: High Precision Imaging and Systemic Radiotherapy
Highly specific and sensitive molecular imaging, particularly PET, followed by highly efficient systemic radiotherapy (i.e. peptide-receptor-radiotherapy and radioimmunotherapy) is genuine Nuclear Medicine. Since systemic oncologic diseases actually are not curable and local therapy options (i.e. surgery and /or percutaneous radiotherapy) can only cure local disease, systemic radiotherapy modalities will become essential in future oncology.
The present PET/CT and PET/MRI scanners both on site together with an advanced cyclotron at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf combined with an excellent radiochemistry / radiobiology facility and a Nuclear Medicine therapy unit both on site as well are brilliant requirements to develop homogenous functional imaging / therapeutic procedures: Theranostics.
The Nuclear Medicine research group will focus on all aspects of Theranostics starting with the development of new innovative radiotracers, their preclinical testing, in vitro and in vivo dosimetry and ending with their implementation in clinical routine (e.g. prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors and hematological diseases). In addition, suitable biomarkers will be obtained to predict and to anticipate the therapy outcome of the individual patient.
The group participates in clinical trials as the PETra study and joins the “Ga-PSMA-11 in high-risk prostate cancer” project.
Based on the highly specific and sensitive molecular imaging, the radiobiological fundamentals (with unsealed radionuclides) and the dosimetric expertise, the research group will test innovative combination therapies. Combined internal external radiotherapy (CIERT) has the highest priority in this field. The close cooperation with other groups at OncoRay is an excellent precondition considering that.
While external irradiation therapy provides homogeneous dose in large volume nuclear medicine therapy by means of beta- and alpha-emitter generates high dose gradients due to limited path length of the irradiation in tissue. Especially after cellular radionuclide uptake intracellular radioactivity and dose distribution is inhomogeneous and cannot be assessed by physical devices. Therefore indirect dose estimation is necessary via biological effects where time-dose-relationship is also considered. Several radiobiological tests are established including comet, survival and gammaH2AX assay as well as life cell microscopy in monolayers and cell suspension.
DKTK Junior Group Leader for Cancer Systems Biology
Single-cell approaches have not only revealed a wide variety of cell states, characterized by cells exhibiting striking differences in their transcriptional profile, but have also illuminated the mechanisms underlying state transitions in health and disease. Cellular plasticity and adaptive state changes have recently emerged as a basis for therapeutic resistance in cancer, and a better understanding of how cell state transitions are regulated is critical to develop therapeutic approaches that can overcome therapy resistance.
Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms driving non-genetic cellular heterogeneity and therapy resistance in malignancy. Using novel single-cell sequencing approaches, we seek to develop new experimental and computational strategies to define altered cell states in both, cancer and immune cells. Our aim is to leverage a data driven strategy combined with single cell genomics and systems biology to address the challenges posed by heterogeneity in cancer, and to develop new strategies to overcome it, with the aim of translating laboratory-based findings into the clinic.