University of Alabama at Birmingham’s James Markert, M.D., MPH, James Garber Galbraith Endowed Chair of Neurosurgery and Department of Neurosurgery professor, recently received a $2.8 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute for his project, “Utilization of Immuno-PET to detect response and guide novel oHSV-based therapy for glioma.”
 
Markert’s project, in collaboration with Anna Sorace, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering and director of the Small Animal Imaging Shared Facility, will be funded through March 2024. 
 
The research goal is to utilize advanced molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to measure the temporal kinetics of T-cell activation and infiltration during novel combination intratumoral oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) immunotherapy in preclinical models of glioblastoma.
 
Insights gained from this project may facilitate the optimization of therapies on a personalized basis and extend overall survival in glioblastoma patients.