Case Western Reserve researchers aim to advance precision molecular imaging for cancer diagnosis and treatment
James P. Basilion, PhD
Professor of the Department of Radiology at the School of Medicine and of the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Area of Focus: Precision cancer diagnosis and treatment with molecular imaging
During surgical intervention for cancer patients, completely removing cancerous tissue is critical to improving their outcomes, but leaving no mutated cells behind is more challenging than it sounds.
“Even a few cancerous cells left behind after surgery can increase chances for cancer to relapse,” said James P. Basilion, PhD, co-leader of Cancer Imaging Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
With current advancements in cancer biology and imaging, physicians can detect a cancerous tissue region, but can’t yet precisely remove all mutated cancer cells during surgery. Furthermore, imaging contrast agents—molecules that bind to mutated cells specifically to allow precise imaging—may also bind to unintended targets in the body. This can result in the removal of healthy tissue and mis-targeting the mutated ones.
Yet, progress is being made.
"We do not know everything about biological pathways to create a 'perfect' molecule to detect cancer yet, but we are getting there," said Basilion, also professor in the Department of Radiology at the School of Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Basilion and his team of researchers are advancing molecular imaging through many active projects. Currently, they are developing and continuously refining imaging agents to better target cancer biomarkers for diagnostic imaging and surgical guidance.
“It was a team effort,” Basilion said.
Many of the team’s innovations have moved to the clinical translation process. One of them is the Fluorescent Image Resection Enhancement (FIRE) Probe, which is used to assess tumor margins in non-melanoma skin cancer and breast cancer. The technology, part of co-founder Basilion’s startup company, Akrotome Imaging, also has future applications in diagnosing and guiding the surgical removal of brain, lung, prostate, and colon cancers.
Basilion also values his collaborations with fellow researchers, where creative and highly motivated projects often emerge through serendipity. In 2024, he collaborated with Agata Exner, director of the CWRU Center for Imaging Research, to form Visano Theranostics, a company that develops the first prostate cancer cell-targeted ultrasound contrast agent.
Normal ultrasound techniques can sometimes highlight potentially cancerous tissue by showing abnormal, solid and fluid-filled lumps that may suggest a tumor, but a biopsy would also be required to confirm its malignancy. The targeted ultrasound contrast agent developed by Exner and Basilion can bind specifically to prostate cancer cells, helping confirm the presence of cancer and guide biopsy procedures.
“It was our peanut butter and chocolate experiment, when two great tastes go together,” said Basilion of how perfectly the expertise of his team fit with Exner’s.
At the time, Basilion was developing an imaging molecule that could bind selectively to prostate cancer cells, while Exner was developing particles that could exit blood vessels, reach tumor tissues, and deliver treatment or contrast agents to the site.
The project has received a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for four years of development and clinical translation.
Basilion has spent more than 20 years at CWRU advancing molecular imaging. His motivation remains the patients he sees when stepping out of the office, located in University Hospitals.
“Seeing patients who are suffering reminds me of why I do my research—not only for them, but also for their loved ones,” Basilion said.
