Flow Heterogeneity as a Potential Biomarker of Vascular Normalisation in Tumour Studies

John David Dickson¹, Richard E. Ansorge¹, Stephen Price²

Recent research has shown that the success of anti-angiogenic treatment can be due to a process known as vascular normalisation. The need to track the effectiveness of anti-angiogenic treatment has therefore created a demand for effective biomarkers of vascular normalisation. One proposed biomarker is the radii of vessels present, however vessel size imaging requires intravenous injection of Iron Oxide contrast agents. We propose that effective information on normalisation of vascular morphology may be attainable using only Gadolinium-based tracers by measuring intravoxel heterogeneity in flow rate.