Abstract #2046

In Vivo Detection of Colitis and Colitis-Associated Early Colorectal Tumors in Mice Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Devkumar Mustafi¹, Urszula Dougherty², Marc Bissonnette², Xiaobing Fan³, Gregory S. Karczmar³, Erica Markiewicz³, Marta Zamora³

¹Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; ²Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; ³Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

We have developed a high-resolution in vivo MRI method to assess the state of colitis and to facilitate the early detection of colitis-associated colorectal tumors in mice. Using both high-resolution T1/T2-weighted MR images and dynamic Gd-DTPA contrast-enhanced MRI studies of control, colitis, colorectal tumor, and colitis-to-early colorectal tumor-bearing mice, we have demonstrated that early colorectal tumors can be detected and that the neoplastic transformation stage of chronic colitis can be distinguished from early colitis-associated cancers. In vitro 2-D histological studies were also performed for characterizing colitis and monitoring its progression from colitis to cancer in a clinically relevant model.