We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Next-Gen Tau Radiotracers Outperform FDA-Approved Imaging Agents in Detecting Alzheimer’s

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 13 Feb 2025
Print article
Image: Autoradiography images showing binding of [18F]flortaucipir, [18F]MK6240, and [18F]PI2620 in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum (A) and in whole-brain hemisphere (B) of control and AD brains (Photo courtesy of UFRGS)
Image: Autoradiography images showing binding of [18F]flortaucipir, [18F]MK6240, and [18F]PI2620 in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum (A) and in whole-brain hemisphere (B) of control and AD brains (Photo courtesy of UFRGS)

In Alzheimer’s disease, tau tangles are closely linked to cognitive decline: the greater the number of tangles, the more severe the cognitive impairment. By measuring the amount of tau in brain tissue using PET imaging, doctors can accurately stage Alzheimer’s disease and determine the most suitable treatment options. Now, two new PET radiotracers have demonstrated superior performance compared to the only currently FDA-approved radiotracer for detecting tau tangles in the brain, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. In a direct comparison of the three imaging agents, the next-generation radiotracers showed greater binding to Alzheimer’s disease brain tissue and enhanced selectivity for identifying the tangles. This research, published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, could be crucial in assessing the outcomes of clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease therapies.

In the study, researchers at the Universidade Federal de Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil) used autoradiography to evaluate the binding of 18F-Flortaucipir (FDA-approved), 18F-MK6240, and 18F-PI2620 in autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer’s disease and healthy brain tissues. The binding values were calculated for regions of interest in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellar cortex sections of the brain, as well as for the whole-brain hemisphere. For all three radiotracers, a significant difference in binding was observed between Alzheimer’s disease brain tissue and healthy brain tissue in the whole brain hemisphere, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, but not in the cerebellar cortex. Binding to Alzheimer’s disease brain tissue was higher for 18F-MK6240 and 18F-PI2620 than for 18F-Flortaucipir. Furthermore, 18F-MK6240 and 18F-PI2620 displayed greater selectivity than 18F-Flortaucipir. The study also suggests that harmonization methods are essential to address the differences between tau imaging agents.

“With their higher specificity, these new tau imaging agents are ideal for detecting the small changes that occur in brain tissue over time. This can be especially helpful in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials that utilize tau PET as an outcome measure,” said Eduardo R. Zimmer, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology at UFRGS. “Our work represents an important step toward the harmonization of tau tracers,” Zimmer said, “and the results might provide insights into initiatives to create a universal scale for tau tracers.”

Related Links:
UFRGS

Diagnostic Ultrasound System
MS1700C
Digital X-Ray Detector Panel
Acuity G4
New
Ultrasonic Pocket Doppler
SD1
Radiology Software
DxWorks

Print article

Channels

MRI

view channel
Image: Combining AI with bpMRI improves detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Biparametric MRI Combined with AI Enhances Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming the way medical images are analyzed, offering unprecedented capabilities in quantitatively extracting features that go beyond traditional visual... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: The model trained on echocardiography, can identify liver disease in people without symptoms (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Artificial Intelligence Detects Undiagnosed Liver Disease from Echocardiograms

Echocardiography is a diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasound to visualize the heart and its associated structures. This imaging test is commonly used as an early screening method when doctors suspect... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.