Preclinical Molecular Imaging Group

Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek’s group uses cutting-edge biomedical imaging techniques to gain information about the way particular genes drive cancer progression.

Our group’s long-term goal is to develop specific biomarkers for detecting cancers and to evaluate these biomarkers in pre-clinical cancer models

Notwithstanding the remarkable clinical success of mAb-based treatment regimens, not all patients benefit from them. This can be attributed, at least in part, to the complexity of the tumour microenvironment and its considerable heterogeneity both in terms of the tumour and non-tumour cell components. These phenomena represent a huge challenge in identifying predictive biomarkers and stratifying patient populations for personalised therapy approaches.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop assays that will help in three ways:

  1. accurate patient selection
  2. understanding intrinsic resistance mechanisms or the emergence of acquired resistance following treatment initiation and
  3. choosing the most effective combination regimen in circumstances in which single-agent therapies are insufficiently effective.

Currently, the baseline expression level of antigens targeted by therapeutic mAbs can be analysed by methods such as: immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry, proteomics, or next-generation sequencing of tumour tissues acquired at diagnostic biopsy or intra-operatively. These techniques aid our understanding of how cancer cells adapt to treatment and become resistant, but such methods are inherently invasive, prone to sampling errors caused by inter- and intra-tumour heterogeneity of receptor expression within analysed biopsy specimens and do not lend themselves readily to repeated sampling.

Positron emission tomography (PET), using radiolabelled mAbs, antibody fragments or engineered protein scaffolds (immuno-PET), has the potential to acquire information non-invasively and can be highly complementary to analyses based on tissue acquisition. Accordingly, immuno-PET agents might accurately identify the presence and accessibility of the target and provide a rapid assessment of tumour response to a variety of treatments in a timely fashion (e.g. within 1-2 weeks of treatment initiation).

Furthermore, immuno-PET agents can provide information about the heterogeneity of both target expression and therapeutic response, which are increasingly recognised as key factors in treatment resistance. This especially relates to patients with advanced disease in whom target expression may vary from site to site and a biopsy of a single local or metastatic deposit may not accurately reflect the situation across the entire disease burden. Although introduction of immuno-PET into routine clinical practice may add complexity and increase costs, with appropriate use this imaging modality has the potential to identify patients likely to benefit from therapy and assess the efficacy of novel target-specific drugs.

Against this background, our research focuses on the development and characterisation of targeted-PET radiotracers, including protein-based theranostic agents that enable smart monitoring of immunotherapies and expand opportunities for personalised medicine approaches.

Early diagnosis and individualized therapy have been recognized as crucial for the improvement of cancer treatment outcome. While proper molecular characterization of individual tumour types facilitates choice of the right therapeutic strategies, early assessment of tumour response to therapy could allow the physicians to discontinue ineffective treatment and offer the patient a more promising alternative. Therefore, the role of molecular imaging in elucidating molecular pathways involved in cancer progression and the ability to select the most effective therapy based on the unique biologic characteristics of the patient and the molecular properties of a tumour are undoubtedly of paramount importance.

The mission of this group is to investigate innovative imaging probes and apply them to novel orthotopic or metastatic models that are target driven, to gain information of the way particular oncogenes drive cancer progression through signalling pathways that can be imaged in vivo and, correlate it with target level ex vivo. Such an approach enables non-invasive assessment of biochemical target levels, target modulation and provides opportunities to optimize the drug dosing for maximum therapeutic effect, which leads to the development of better strategies for the more precise delivery of medicine.

The long term goal of our research is to develop specific imaging cancer biomarkers, especially for positron emission tomography (PET) as well as optical imaging and, evaluate these biomarkers in pre-clinical cancer models. Significant efforts are directed towards validating biomarkers for early prediction of treatment response, with the focus on new targeted therapies (such as inhibition of cell signalling pathways).

Our initial portfolio of imaging agents include radiolabelled affibody molecules, TK inhibitors and, conventional tracers that monitor universal markers of tumour physiology.

We are actively supported by other groups from the Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging as well as the Division of Cancer Therapeutics. Moreover, our close association with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust enables rapid translation of our research to early clinical studies and ensures a fast transition of know-how from the research laboratory to the patient bedside.

Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek

Group Leader:

Preclinical Molecular Imaging Gabriela Kramer-Marek

Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek is investigating new ways of molecular imaging in order to predict an individual patient’s response to treatment. Before moving to the ICR, she developed a new approach for non-invasive assessment of HER2 expression in breast cancer.

Researchers in this group

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Phone: 020 3437 6376

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 6785

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 6857

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: 020 3437 4549

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek's group have written 63 publications

Most recent new publication 2/2025

See all their publications

Recent discoveries from this group

28/02/25 - by

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is delighted to welcome the new London Growth Plan, launched by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan , which places life sciences at the forefront of an ambitious strategy to boost the capital’s economic growth.

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is a key partner at The London Cancer Hub, one of a consortium of ‘innovation clusters’ from across London, who are already working collaboratively to meet many of the goals laid out in the mayor’s plan.

London is already considered to be one of the leading cities in Europe for life sciences and other innovative scientific areas, including tech and artificial intelligence. However, the new Plan will further support and boost the growth of specialist life science clusters – ‘walkable’ districts that bring together partners from sectors including academic research, investors, startups, corporates and, for life sciences, hospitals.

Along with The London Cancer Hub, the other clusters to welcome the launch of the new plan are Barts Life Sciences, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf Life Sciences and Healthcare, The Knowledge Quarter, Olympic Park Innovation District, Paddington Life Sciences and White City Innovation District.

The innovation clusters are now looking forward to working with the Mayor's Office and other stakeholders to deliver the actions set out in the plan.

Dr Jon Wilkinson, Director of Business and Innovation, at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said:

“London is one of the best places in Europe for companies in the life-sciences to spin out and start up – thanks to factors including the excellence of London’s universities, the possibility of partnerships with the NHS, the ready availability of lab space, and the availability of funding for new companies thanks to the presence of the City of London.

 “So, we’re delighted to see the new London Growth Plan recognising the strength of our life-sciences sector in London, and especially measures aimed at stimulating growth through supporting innovation at frontier innovation clusters. We're especially pleased to see The London Cancer Hub referenced in the plan – this is an oncology-focused district in Sutton, where we're working with partners including Sutton Council, developers Socius, and Aviva to generate new commercial partnerships, create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and above all to create new treatments that benefit cancer patients.

Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Sutton Council, a leading partner at The London Cancer Hub, said: 

“Our vision for Sutton is to become the global centre for oncology in London. The life science sector will be pivotal to the future growth of the capital over the coming years, and I am delighted that the Mayor’s growth plan names the London Cancer Hub in Sutton as the key engine for this growth.

“The London Cancer Hub is already delivering life changing cancer drug discoveries alongside world-leading cancer care through the Institute of Cancer Research (a member institution of the University of London) and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust. A multi-million investment from Aviva working with developer Socius will further expand the district and will bring more commercial and community spaces.”