Dr. Lars Furenlid and a team of collaborators have been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). The project, titled ADAPTISPECT-C: A NEXT-GENERATION, ADAPTIVE BRAIN-IMAGING SPECT SYSTEM FOR DRUG DISCOVERY AND CLINICAL IMAGING, aims at leading the way in understanding the human brain by enabling the development of biomarkers with unprecedented specificity for mapping neuroreceptors and proteinopathies associated with disease and dementia. This $5.01 million grant is multi-institutional effort and will be carried out by co-PIs Furenlid (University of Arizona), Michael King (University of Massachusetts) and George Zubal (ZConcepts).
During this 5-year project a revolutionary SPECT brain-imaging system will be designed for human studies by creating a multi-detector-module adaptive-pinhole SPECT imaging system ideally suited for quantitative dynamic and high-spatial-resolution static imaging. The system will automatically adapt its imaging characteristics in response to the imaging tasks and individual patients. It will thereby optimize lesion detection and quantification, as well as provide optimal data for pharmacokinetic analysis within structures throughout the brain. Comparison of AdaptiSPECT-C to clinical systems will be conducted through inviCRO, one of the nation's top contract research organizations (CROs) serving the pharmaceutical industry. These studies will provide the documentation of system performance necessary to enable “Big-Pharma” companies to use the system to gather the clinical data necessary for FDA approval of new pharmaceuticals.
Drs. Furenlid, King(PI), and Zubal were also awarded a second 1.43 million dollar R01 grant earlier this summer from the NIBIB entitled COMBINED MULTI-PINHOLE AND FAN-BEAM BRAIN SPECT to develop a high-resolution, high-sensitivity aperture that mounts to a conventional, commercial two-headed SPECT system to specifically improve imaging used for diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.