Researchers in Scotland have received a 2-million-pound (2.2-million-euro) grant for a clinical trial to study the use of PET imaging with a new translocator protein (TSPO) radiotracer in heart attack patients.
A team at the University of Edinburgh, working with the University of Glasgow and industry partner Life Molecular Imaging (LMI), will compare the use of F-18 LW223-PET
imaging in healthy volunteers and patients who have experienced heart attacks. In previous animal studies, the F-18 LW223 tracer has shown potential to help visualize inflammation by binding to TSPO, an inflammatory biomarker, in affected tissue.
Ultimately, as inflammation is present in heart attacks, being able to view it effectively is crucial for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, the researchers noted.
The grant was awarded by the U.K.'s Medical Research Council's Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme.
