About Dr Nicole Dmochowska
The need
Glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour, has a very poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of 5-10% for patients. The main treatment involves surgically removing the tumour as much as possible without causing harm to the brain. However, it's challenging to accurately identify the tumour boundaries due to its invasive nature and similarity to normal brain tissue.
The research
Developing a ICG nanoformulation (super bright dye) that sticks to specific molecules often found in substantial numbers within cancer cells but not as much in healthy brain tissue. Nicole’s project has identified two ideal targets (FAP and PSMA) to help see different parts of brain tumours. With a model that mimics a patient's tumour, her research aims to show that the dye can guide surgeons during surgery to better see and remove the tumour.
The impact
Nicole aims to prove that using this dye during surgery will help doctors see and remove more of the tumour, making the treatment safer and may positively affect the patients’ recovery post-treatment.
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