Principal Investigators

Angus Lau, PhD

Scientist

Our group focuses on the development of novel MRI technologies to revolutionize the way in which radiation treatment is delivered in the clinic. We are building techniques for an advanced image-guided radiotherapy platform called the “MRI-LINAC”, which integrates an external beam linear accelerator with a diagnostic 1.5T MRI scanner. This innovative device enables delivery of external beam radiation whilst the patient is within the MRI environment, allowing access to the exquisite soft tissue contrast and non-invasive nature of MRI at treatment time. Our main research directions include the development of real-time beam-on imaging sequences for adaptive radiotherapy and the integration of non-contrast molecular imaging for improved treatment response monitoring. In the long run, these technologies to visualize tumours and their response will change the way in which radiation treatment is clinically used, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Research

Our aim is to develop and enhance the use of ultrasound techniques to improve cancer treatment. Our primary focus is the development of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) methods to monitor cancer therapy response. In addition, we have are developing novel ultrasound-based therapies to improve current conventional cancer treatments. Our ultimate goal is to implement both clinically at the end of the proposed research period, with clinical evaluations of enhanced imaging and cancer treatment derived from these research objectives.

Translation

Translate these strategies from bench to bedside.

Education

Educate basic scientists, bioengineers, and oncologists in the integrative biology of cancer.

 

Publications:

2021

  1. Nguyen TK, Chin L, Sahgal A, Dagan R, Eppinga W, Guckenberger M, Kim JH, Lo SS, Redmond KJ, Siva S, Stish BJ, Chan R, Lawrence L, Lau A, Tseng CL. International Multi-institutional Patterns of Contouring Practice and Clinical Target Volume Recommendations for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Non-Spine Bone Metastases.  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2021 Sep 9:S0360-3016(21)02785-1. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2021.09.004. PMID: 34509549.
  2. Tan JL, Djayakarsana D, Wang H, Chan RW, Bailey C, Lau AZ. Deuterium MRS of early treatment-induced changes in tumour lactate in vitro. NMR Biomed. 2021 Aug 18:e4599. doi: 10.1002/nbm.4599. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34405471.
  3. Lau AZ, Chen AP, Cunningham CH. Cardiac metabolic imaging using hyperpolarized [1-13 C]lactate as a substrate. NMR Biomed. 2021 Jul;34(7):e4532. doi: 10.1002/nbm.4532. Epub 2021 May 8. PMID: 33963784.
  4. Lawrence LSP, Chin LCL, Chan RW, Nguyen TK, Sahgal A, Tseng CL, Lau AZ. Method of computing direction-dependent margins for the development of consensus contouring guidelines. Radiat Oncol. 2021 Apr 13;16(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s13014-021-01799-1. PMID: 33849576; PMCID: PMC8045331
  5. Chan RW, Lawrence LSP, Oglesby RT, Chen H, Stewart J, Theriault A, Campbell M, Ruschin M, Myrehaug S, Atenafu EG, Keller B, Chugh B, MacKenzie S, Tseng CL, Detsky J, Maralani PJ, Czarnota GJ, Stanisz GJ, Sahgal A, Lau AZ. Chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI in central nervous system tumours on a 1.5 T MR-Linac. Radiother Oncol. 2021 Jul 17;162:140-149. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.07.010. PMID: 34280403.

2020

  1. Chan RW, Chen H, Myrehaug S, Atenafu EG, Stanisz GJ, Stewart J, Maralani PJ, Chan AKM, Daghighi S, Ruschin M, Das S, Perry J, Czarnota GJ, Sahgal A, Lau AZ. Quantitative CEST and MT at 1.5T for monitoring treatment response in glioblastoma early and late tumor progression during chemoradiation. J Neurooncol. 2021 Jan;151(2):267-278. doi: 10.1007/s11060-020-03661-y. Epub 2020 Nov 16. PMID: 33196965.

2019

  1.  Karami E, Soliman H, Ruschin M, Sahgal A, Myrehaug S, Tseng CL, Czarnota GJ, Jabehdar-Maralani P, Chugh B, Lau A, Stanisz GJ, Sadeghi-Naini A. Quantitative MRI Biomarkers of Stereotactic Radiotherapy Outcome in Brain Metastasis. Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 27;9(1):19830. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56185-5. PubMed PMID: 31882597; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6934477.
  2.  Lau A, So RWL, Lau HHC, Sang JC, Ruiz-Riquelme A, Fleck SC, Stuart E, Menon S, Visanji NP, Meisl G, Faidi R, Marano MM, Schmitt-Ulms C, Wang Z, Fraser PE, Tandon A, Hyman BT, Wille H, Ingelsson M, Klenerman D, Watts JC. α-Synuclein strains target distinct brain regions and cell types. Nat Neurosci. 2020 Jan;23(1):21-31. doi: 10.1038/s41593-019-0541-x. Epub 2019 Dec 2. PubMed PMID: 31792467; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6930851.
  3.  Chan RW, Myrehaug S, Stanisz GJ, Sahgal A, Lau AZ. Quantification of pulsed saturation transfer at 1.5T and 3T. Magn Reson Med. 2019 Nov;82(5):1684-1699. doi: 10.1002/mrm.27856. Epub 2019 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 31228291.
  4. Miller JJ, Grist JT, Serres S, Larkin JR, Lau AZ, Ray K, Fisher KR, Hansen E, Tougaard RS, Nielsen PM, Lindhardt J, Laustsen C, Gallagher FA, Tyler DJ, Sibson N. (13)C Pyruvate Transport Across the Blood-Brain Barrier in Preclinical Hyperpolarised MRI. Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 10;8(1):15082. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33363-5. PubMed PMID: 30305655; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6180068.
  5. Chan RW, Lau AZ, Detzler G, Thayalasuthan V, Nam RK, Haider MA. Evaluating the accuracy of multicomponent T(2) parameters for luminal water imaging of the prostate with acceleration using inner-volume 3D GRASE. Magn Reson Med. 2019 Jan;81(1):466-476. doi: 10.1002/mrm.27372. Epub 2018 Jul 29. PubMed PMID: 30058296.
  6.  Lau HHC, Lau A, Watts JC. Discriminating Strains of Self-Propagating Protein Aggregates Using a Conformational Stability Assay. Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1777:339-354. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7811-3_22. PubMed PMID: 29744847.
  7. Miller JJ, Ball DR, Lau AZ, Tyler DJ. Hyperpolarized ketone body metabolism in the rat heart. NMR Biomed. 2018 Jun;31(6):e3912. doi: 10.1002/nbm.3912. Epub 2018 Apr 10. PubMed PMID: 29637642; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6001529.
  8.  Tang MHY, Ching CK, Poon S, Chan SSS, Ng WY, Lam M, Wong CK, Pao R, Lau A, Mak TWL. Evaluation of three rapid oral fluid test devices on the screening of multiple drugs of abuse including ketamine. Forensic Sci Int. 2018 May;286:113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.03.004. Epub 2018 Mar 12. PubMed PMID: 29574346.
  9.  Lewis AJM, Miller JJ, Lau AZ, Curtis MK, Rider OJ, Choudhury RP, Neubauer S, Cunningham CH, Carr CA, Tyler DJ. Noninvasive Immunometabolic Cardiac Inflammation Imaging Using Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance. Circ Res. 2018 Apr 13;122(8):1084-1093. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.312535. Epub 2018 Feb 12. PubMed PMID: 29440071; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5908252.
  10.  Lau AZ, Lau JYC, Chen AP, Cunningham CH. Simultaneous multislice acquisition without trajectory modification for hyperpolarized (13) C experiments. Magn Reson Med. 2018 Oct;80(4):1588-1594. doi: 10.1002/mrm.27136. Epub 2018 Feb 9. PubMed PMID: 29427366; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6120460.
  11. Miller JJ, Lau AZ, Nielsen PM, McMullen-Klein G, Lewis AJ, Jespersen NR, Ball V, Gallagher FA, Carr CA, Laustsen C, Bøtker HE, Tyler DJ, Schroeder MA. Hyperpolarized [1,4-(13)C(2)]Fumarate Enables Magnetic Resonance-Based Imaging of Myocardial Necrosis. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2018 Nov;11(11):1594-1606. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.09.020. Epub 2017 Dec 13. PubMed PMID: 29248653; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6231534.
  12. Chen AP, Lau AZ, Gu YP, Schroeder MA, Barry J, Cunningham CH. Probing the cardiac malate-aspartate shuttle non-invasively using hyperpolarized [1,2-(13) C(2) ]pyruvate. NMR Biomed. 2018 Jan;31(1). doi: 10.1002/nbm.3845. Epub 2017 Nov 6. PubMed PMID: 29106770.
  13.  Miller JJ, Lau AZ, Tyler DJ. Susceptibility-induced distortion correction in hyperpolarized echo planar imaging. Magn Reson Med. 2018 Apr;79(4):2135-2141. doi: 10.1002/mrm.26839. Epub 2017 Jul 19. PubMed PMID: 28722201; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5836862.
  14. Lau AZ, Miller JJ, Tyler DJ. Mapping of intracellular pH in the in vivo rodent heart using hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate. Magn Reson Med. 2017 May;77(5):1810-1817. doi: 10.1002/mrm.26260. Epub 2016 May 13. PubMed PMID: 27173806; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5412837.
  15. Lau AZ, Miller JJ, Robson MD, Tyler DJ. Simultaneous assessment of cardiac metabolism and perfusion using copolarized [1-(13) C]pyruvate and (13) C-urea. Magn Reson Med. 2017 Jan;77(1):151-158. doi: 10.1002/mrm.26106. Epub 2016 Jan 7. PubMed PMID: 26743440; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5217077.

 

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