Stabl-Im is an imaging-focused development program designed to explore whether stable isotope labelling can be used with MRI to generate additional information about tumour biology.

The program is based on the scientific rationale that tumour tissue, treatment-related change and normal tissue differ in cell turnover, water handling and microenvironmental characteristics. By investigating these differences, Stabl-Im aims to assess whether stable isotope-informed MRI can support improved characterisation of active disease and treatment response.

MRI is already central to the diagnosis and monitoring of brain cancers and brain metastases. However, in some settings, differentiating active tumour from treatment-related changes or other tissue effects can remain challenging. Stabl-Im is being developed as a potential complementary imaging approach that may provide additional biological information alongside established imaging methods.

Unlike PET imaging, which uses radioactive tracers, Stabl-Im is designed to use non-radioactive isotopes that may be visualised using MRI-based methods. Once clinically validated, this approach has the potential to support radiation-free molecular imaging research using infrastructure already available in many hospitals and imaging centres.