By Stephen George
New lab at Brown Cancer Center offers latest in cancer technology
Last Friday marked the grand opening of the $12 million Molecular Imaging Research Center at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a major advancement in the University of Louisville’s quest for medical recognition, both in research and technology.
The MIRC, which was funded in part by the university and conceived through the partnership created by departed U of L president John Shumaker and regional medical facilities, brings to Louisville a comprehensive cancer center capable of cutting-edge research and development of new treatments for cancer and several other debilitating diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders.
“This is the last building block to putting together a comprehensive cancer center,” center director Dr. Donald Miller was quoted as saying in The Courier-Journal.
The center now has two field nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers. While MRI scans, X-rays and mammograms show only the structure of tissue and organs, the NMRs show the three-dimensional structures of the molecules within the tissue and organs. The NMRs contain magnetic fields capable of 250,000 times more power than ordinary refrigerator magnets.
The NMR units will be most helpful in the detection of and development of treatment for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s. By looking at solid proteins, the machines can help to detect Alzheimer’s and other disorders earlier than other tests.
The center has also acquired a Position Emission Tomography scanner. The PET scanner measures metabolic activity in the body that helps also to detect cancer and neurological disorders earlier than any other test.
According to Dr. Miller, the acquisition of the PET scanner and the NMR units puts the Brown Cancer Center at the forefront of all cancer centers in the nation. Miller also said that this technology offers patients the newest state-of-the-art scanning in the medical field and distinguishes the Brown Center as a major research center in the country.
Several other organizations helped fund the new lab along with the university. Dr. Greg Postel, chairman of the U of L radiology department, said that much of the funding came from the National Institute of Health and the National Cancer Institute, which will likely name the Brown Center a comprehensive cancer center. Of the more than 40 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, none are currently in Kentucky.
Additional funding for the new lab was provided by the Regional Cancer Center board, the Humana Endowment, and University Medical Center, which operates University Hospital.
