Anti-cancer drug development
is a major area of research. It was found that the estimated
approval success rate for self-originated new chemical entities
from 1981 to 1992 varied from 19% to 30% with an increasing
trend currently. Therefore, most drugs undergoing trials are
abandoned without obtaining marketing approval, which also
proves that it is a risky, tedious process and the financial
resources involved are tremendous. New anticancer drugs under
go various clinical trials, which answers specific questions
pertaining to new therapies or new ways of using known treatments.
There are many techniques which can evaluate anticancer drug.
Functional imaging techniques provide a novel method for anti-cancer
drug development and monitoring response to therapy. New chemotherapeutic
drugs are continuously being developed. Some of them, which
target the biological processes, can be monitored functionally
using Positron Emission Tomography (PET), functional MRI,
Multiphase CT etc. These techniques provide significant knowledge
regarding pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic endpoints of
these drugs. PET-CT imaging is a superior method in new drug
development as it is a noninvasive imaging modality and provides
an early judgment for principle animal and human trials. The
current end point for assessing response to therapy in solid
tumors is by measuring the change in tumor size. Tumor volume
change as calculated by ultrasound, computed tomography or
magnetic resonance imaging using unidimensional or bidimensional
measurements and comparison with baseline pretreatment scans,
has been used for assessing tumor response to anti-cancer
drugs up to date. However, tumor dissolution and shrinkage
is a complex cascade of cellular and subcellular changes that
occur over a period of time, usually weeks or months, thus
precious time is lost in assessing the response using conventional
imaging modalities. Therefore, functional information such
as drug induced changes in tumor glucose metabolism, tumor
cell proliferation and perfusion, derived from PET imaging
using radiolabelled biological probes, provide an alternative
approach to conventional structural or anatomical imaging.
This functional information is particularly going to be helpful
in predicting treatment response to new immunomodulating drugs
which target cancer growth via its effect on proliferative
signal transduction, cell cycle progression, growth factors,
telomere regulation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, tumor invasion
and metastatic capacity.
Rakesh
Kumar
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
New Delhi, India
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Dr.
Rakesh Kumar received his National Board Certification (MD)
in Nuclear Medicine in 1995 from All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, New Delhi, India. Dr. Kumar did his post MD Fellowship
in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in 2004 from University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA under Prof Abass Alavi,
who is pioneer in the field of PET and Nuclear Medicine. Presently
Dr Kumar is working as an Associate Professor in the PET-CT
and Nuclear Medicine department at All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. |
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Scientific Contributions. Dr Kumar has published
more than 200 Scientific Papers and 250 Abstracts in reputed
Medical Science Journals. Based on his extensive experience
and unique research in PET-CT, he has been invited to write
many editorials in reputed journals like Cancer and European
Journal of Nuclear Medicine. He has also contributed more
than 20 book chapters in various books on Oncology and Imaging.
Recently he has been invited be the Guest Editor of “PET
Clinics: Multimodality Imaging of Breast Cancer with special
Emphasis on PET and PET-CT Imaging: Part-I & II”
Publisher W.B.Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia,USA.
R&D Achievements: Dr Kumar has been actively
involved in scientific research activities. He has been principal
investigator of many grants, some important of these are :
- Early evaluation of treatment response of Neo- adjuvant
chemotherapy in locally advanced Breast Cancer patients
using Tumor Burden estimation by PET-CT and correlation
with CD 34 and VEGF expression. Funded by an Indian Medical
Council Research (2009- 2011).
- Cost effective differentiatial diagnosis in lung cancer
using PET generator based radiopharmaceuticals. Funded by
an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria,
(2008- 2011).
- Role of radionuclide techniques in the management of
neonatal hydronephrosis. Funded by an International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, `(2001- till date).
- "Diagnostic accuracy of Tc99m-MIBI planer and SPECT
in differentiating scarred tissue from recurrence of cancer
after breast surgery". Funded by an International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, (2000-2001).
- Standardisation of I-131 treatment for hyperthyroidism
with intent to optimise radiation dose and treatment response.
Funded by an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
Vienna, Austria, (1995- 2001).
Scientific and Professional Activities: Dr
Kumar has delivered more than 50 lectures in various scientific
conferences/meetings. He has received more than 15 Awards
and honors for best research papers, presentations in meeting
and scientific contribution. He is an editorial board member
and reviewer of more than 35 reputed biomedical journals.
Expert /Consultant/Reviewer of Scientific Organizations:
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.
- Cancer Research, United Kingdom (U.K) Research Projects
Reviewer.
- Union Against Cancer (UICC), Geneva, Switzerland, Research
Projects Reviewer.
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Research Projects
Reviewer.
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