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
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Tau Radiotracer Aids Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 11 Jun 2020
Print article
A novel diagnostic radiotracer can help estimate the density and distribution of aggregated tau neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in adults being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Developed by Avid Radiopharmaceuticals (Philadelphia, PA, USA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, IN, USA), Tauvid (flortaucipir 18F) radiotracer is a small-molecule selective positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent that binds to aggregated tau protein, which in the brains of patients with AD, combine to form NFTs, one of the two components required for the neuropathological diagnosis of AD. The safety and effectiveness of the tau tracer were demonstrated in two clinical studies.

The first study included 156 terminally ill patients who agreed to undergo Tauvid PET imaging and to donate their brains after death; 64 died within nine months of brain scanning. Five evaluators' readings were then compared to post mortem readings from independent pathologists, who were blinded to the PET scan results. The results showed that the five evaluator’s readings had a high probability of correctly evaluating patients with tau pathology and had an average-to-high probability of correctly evaluating patients without tau pathology.

The second study included the same patients with terminal illness that participated in the first study, but with an additional 18 patients with terminal illness and 159 patients with cognitive impairment who were being evaluated for AD. In this second study, reader agreement was 0.87 across all 241 patients. In a separate subgroup analysis that included the 82 terminally ill patients who were diagnosed after death and the 159 patients with cognitive impairment, reader agreement was 0.90 for the AD patients and 0.82 in the terminally ill patients.

“The fight against Alzheimer’s disease requires precise and reliable assessments of the two key pathologies of the disease, because clinical assessments alone are limited in their ability to accurately diagnose patients,” said Mark Mintun, MD, vice president of Lilly's pain and neurodegeneration research and development. “Lilly and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals are committed to bringing innovative AD diagnostics to the patients who need them most.”

“Diagnostic imaging can help patients and their families plan for the future and make informed choices about their health and well-being, in addition to facilitating appropriate patient management for physicians,” said professor of neurology Reisa Sperling, MD, of Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA). “Determining the anatomic distribution and density of tau NFTs in the brain was previously possible only at autopsy. Now we have a way to obtain this important information in patients.”

18F is a fluorine radioisotope that decays by positron emission 97% of the time, and electron capture 3% of the time; both modes of decay yield stable oxygen-18 (18O). 18F is an important radioisotope as a result of both its short half-life and the emission of positrons when decaying. It is primarily synthesized into fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for use in PET scans.

Related Links:
Avid Radiopharmaceuticals
Eli Lilly


Gold Supplier
128 Slice CT Scanner
Supria 128
Gold Supplier
Conductive Gel
Tensive
New
Radiotherapy Software
Node Platform
New
Interventional Robot
ANT-X

Print article
Sun Nuclear -    Mirion

Channels

Radiography

view channel
Image: Radiologists outperformed AI in identifying lung diseases on chest X-ray (Photo courtesy of RSNA)

Radiologists Beat AI in Detecting Common Lung Diseases on Chest X-Rays

Chest X-rays are frequently used for diagnosis, but it takes a lot of training and expertise to read these images correctly. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved some artificial... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: The new device targets ultrasound waves to precise spots in the brain (Photo courtesy of WUSTL)

Anatomically Precise Ultrasound-Based Technique to Enable Noninvasive Biopsies for Brain Tumors

The blood-brain barrier serves as a protective wall, keeping the brain safe from harmful elements like viruses and toxins in the blood. This makes it challenging for doctors to obtain molecular and genetic... Read more

General/Advanced Imaging

view channel
Image: Annalise Enterprise CTB acts like a ‘second pair of eyes’ for radiologists (Photo courtesy of Annalise.ai)

Deep Learning System Boosts Radiologist Accuracy and Speed for Head CTs

Non-contrast computed tomography of the brain (NCCTB) is a commonly employed method for identifying intracranial pathology. Despite its frequent use, the complex scan outcomes are prone to being misunderstood.... 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

Industry News

view channel
Image: The partnership combines best-in-class AI-powered technologies for musculoskeletal imaging workflows (Photo courtesy of ImageBiopsy Lab)

AI-Powered Technologies to Aid Interpretation of X-Ray and MRI Images for Improved Disease Diagnosis

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions impact more people worldwide than issues related to the circulatory or respiratory systems. Even so, diagnostic procedures for these conditions often still lean on outdated... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2023 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.