Chandan Guha, PhD, Vice Chairman and Professor of Radiation Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore founded the Institute for Onco-Physics, allowing the group to do physical sciences in cancer and stem cell biology. In a recent SARRP panel, Dr. Guha highlighted a few applications of radiation and preclinical modeling and explained how SARRP plays a huge role in innovative research in stem cell biology.
- The institute was one of the first to use SARRP in experiments where focal high dose irradiation needs to be given to an organ. SARRP simplified the procedure, allowing focal high dose irradiation to half a lobe of the liver or one lobe within mice.
- SARRP also allows image-guided dosimetry for very focal organ radiation throughout the body—from the brain to the rectum and the limbs’ extremities.
- The institute was one of the initial contributors in the field of regenerative medicine. The Einstein group was the first to show that parenchymal cells such as liver stem cells or adult hepatocytes, as well as endothelial cells can engraft and repopulate in an irradiated organ.
- By applying focal radiation using SARRP and then by doing these very sophisticated experiments for cell therapy, they were able to discover alternatives to orthotopic organ transplant.
Dr. Guha closed by describing that the future of the SARRP platform is supporting investigators with precision immuno-therapeutics.
See the full panel presentation below, with Dr. Guha’s presentation beginning at 1:05:25
