Precursor PET Compound for Imaging Infections

Application

Diagnostic molecules for detecting bacterial infections using nuclear imaging.

Key Benefits

May improve the detection of infections within the body.
Potentially facilitates earlier treatment and superior clinical outcomes compared to other diagnostic radiotracers.

Market Summary

The rising incidences of bacterial infections resistant to standard of care (SOC) antibiotics and antimicrobials has raised great health concerns worldwide. More than 2.8 million Americans will become infected with resistant infections leading to over 35,000 deaths. New solutions to help detect bacterial infections are needed. Researchers at Emory University have developed novel precursor compounds used in PET imaging of infections. These compounds facilitate radiotracer production.

Technical Summary

The novel compound consists of a positron tomography (PET) that detects bacterial infections using nuclear imaging. Radioactive dyes are collected in areas of the patient’s body where higher chemical activity is detected. This is then used to diagnose cancer or assess infectious/inflammatory processes in different tissues. This compound has demonstrated facilitating the successful production of radiotracers which can then be utilized by a physician for PET imaging of infections while being tested in in vitro experiments for up to 4 hours.