> Our Work > The Work We Fund

2020 Lowell Milken-PCF Young Investigator Award

Micro-Ultrasound and MRI Investigation of Human Prostate Cancer

Wayne Brisbane, MD

University of California, Los Angeles

Mentors: Leonard Marks, MD

Description:

  • Micro-ultrasound is a new imaging technology that has a 300% improvement in resolution compared to traditional ultrasound, and thus is highly promising for enabling visualization of prostate cancer.
  • Dr. Wayne Brisbane is studying the potential for micro-ultrasound in prostate cancer imaging.
  • In this project, Dr. Brisbane will conduct a clinical trial to compare micro-ultrasound to MRI and to the final pathology following prostate removal. In this trial, patients scheduled for radical prostatectomy will obtain pre-operative micro-ultrasound and MRI evaluations.
  • A machine-learning algorithm will be developed to aid clinicians with diagnosing prostate cancer in real-time, possibly enabling micro-ultrasound use as a type of male mammogram.
  • The potential for integrating micro-ultrasound-based treatment monitoring into technologies like HIFU for prostate cancer will be investigated.
  • If successful, this study will be foundational in evaluating if micro-ultrasound is equivalent to MRI.

What this means to patients: Dr. Brisbane is studying the potential for a novel imaging technology, micro-ultrasound, for detection and prognosis of prostate cancer. This may lead to better optimization of treatment selection and improved outcomes for patients.