Chronic & Acute Anti-Angiogenic Treatment Effects Detected by Arterial Spin Labeling in Mouse Tumor

Reshmi Rajendran¹, Mei Yee Tang¹, Huang Wei¹, Jie Ming Liang¹, Stephanie Choo¹, Torsten Reese², Hannes Hentze², Susan van Boxtel², Brian Henry², Kai Hsiang Chuang¹

We applied optimized Flow-sensitive Alternating Inversion Recovery (FAIR) ASL to non-invasively quantify tumor perfusion in a mouse xenograft model, in which acute (24-hour) and chronic (43-day) treatment effects of the VEGF inhibitor (Avastin) was investigated. Our data indicate that significant reduction in tumor perfusion was seen after acute dosing (p<0.05 vs. the control group), suggesting FAIR ASL perfusion could be used as an early biomarker for treatment response. Similarly, the chronic treatment of Avastin also led to a decrease in tumor size and perfusion; however, the drug effect varied significantly among the animals, possibly due to the heterogeneity of tumor progression.