VISE Spring Seminar – Kristy Brock, PhD
VISE seminar to be led by
Kristy Brock, PhD,
Professor, Department of Imaging Physics,
Division of Diagnostic Imaging,
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Date: February 7, 2019
Location: Stevenson 5326
Time: 12:25 p.m. start, 12:15 p.m. lunch
Title:
Biomechanical Modeling for Image Guided Cancer Therapy
Abstract:
Imaging is a critical component in the detection, characterization and treatment of cancer. The rich information content of advanced imaging methods, combined with the growing capacity to collect multiple types of images from various sources and time points during therapy creates an exciting opportunity for image-based guidance and assessment of interventions for radiation oncology, surgery, and interventional radiology. In addition, the development of novel treatment techniques, including radiation, minimally invasive surgery or targeted ablation, requires an accurate assessment of the treatment results for personalized medicine. The ability to personalize treatment is critically dependent on our ability to precisely measure and relate the delivered treatment with the observed corresponding outcome. For locally delivered treatments, this correlation is only possible through precise deformable modeling of the patient’s anatomy over the course of treatment. Modeling of deformable anatomy will improve the precision in evidence-based medicine by allowing evaluation of the intended treatment versus outcome to be replaced with the actual delivered treatment. This allows the initial treatment intent to be updated by real-time imaging to include i) geometric uncertainties in the delivery of the local cancer treatment and ii) correlation of geometric response of the tumor and normal tissue, through deformable modeling of the planning and follow-up images. This presentation will describe ongoing research on the use of biomechanical models to improve the planning, delivery, and therapeutic impact of focal cancer therapy.
Short Bio:
Kristy K. Brock received her PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences from the University of Michigan in 2003. After receiving her PhD, she joined the faculty at the University of Toronto (Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital) and subsequently the faculty at the University of Michigan. She is currently a Professor with tenure in the Department of Imaging Physics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she is the Director for the Image-Guided Cancer Therapy Research Program. Her research has focused on image guided therapy, where she has developed a biomechanical model-based deformable image registration algorithm (Morfeus) to integrate imaging into treatment planning, delivery, and response assessment as well as to understand an validate imaging signals through correlative pathology. She is also board certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics.