Positron Emission Tomography (PET) News and Research

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4SC commences treatment in its resminostat Phase II trial for HL

4SC AG, a drug discovery and development company focused on autoimmune and cancer indications, today announced the treatment of the first patient in a Phase II study evaluating resminostat (4SC-201), an oral pan-histone-deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL) patients.

12 Jan 2010

New technique may help researchers to test amyloid hypothesis in AD development

Current Alzheimer's disease (AD) research indicates that accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein plaques in the brain is central to the development of AD.

11 Jan 2010

Enzyme dCK plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development

Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Dec 2009

Intra-Cellular Therapies announces results of its ITI-007 antipsychotic drug Phase I study

Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (ITI) announced at a recent conference on neuropsychiatric diseases the results from a recently completed Phase I clinical study demonstrating ITI-007, the Company's lead antipsychotic drug, interacts with important targets in the living human brain. These key targets are critical to drug action in many neuropsychiatric and related disorders.

21 Dec 2009

Cerebrospinal fluid signature and PiB imaging help predict Alzheimer's disease

Early Alzheimer's disease detected by a compound that binds to brain plaques appears likely to progress into symptomatic Alzheimer's disease with dementia, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Dec 2009

FDA publishes cGMPs for PET drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced publication of a final regulation on current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) for the production of positron emission tomography (PET) drugs, as well as a guidance document describing acceptable approaches that would enable PET drug producers to meet the requirements in the proposed regulation.

15 Dec 2009

Most antidepressant medications raise serotonin levels and miss key target of clinical depression

A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) - is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study has important implications for our understanding of why antidepressants don't always work.

9 Dec 2009

Clinical interventions may help cocaine abusers from using drugs and prevent relapse

When asked to inhibit their response to a "cocaine-cues" video, active cocaine abusers were, on average, able to suppress activity in brain regions linked to drug craving, according to a new study at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The results, to be published in an upcoming issue of NeuroImage, suggest that clinical interventions designed to strengthen these inhibitory responses could help cocaine abusers stop using drugs and avoid relapse.

30 Nov 2009

Medipattern and PenRad Technologies sign sales and distribution agreement

The Medipattern Corporation ("Medipattern") (TSX VENTURE:MKI), a pioneer in the development of medical software solutions that help improve imaging workflow and productivity, and PenRad Technologies, Inc. ("PenRad"), a leader in the development of mammography information systems (MIS) are pleased to announce the signing of a sales and distribution agreement for PenRad to incorporate Medipattern's B-CAD computer aided detection for breast ultrasound imaging product line.

27 Nov 2009

Direct link between insulin and core body temperature discovered

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link between insulin-a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes-and core body temperature. While much research has been conducted on insulin since its discovery in the 1920s, this is the first time the hormone has been connected to the fundamental process of temperature regulation.

20 Nov 2009

Perceptive Informatics announces the expansion of its medical imaging capabilities for cardiology clinical trials

Perceptive Informatics, a leading eClinical solutions provider and a subsidiary of PAREXEL International Corporation, today announced that it has expanded its leading medical imaging capabilities with advanced nuclear imaging functionality for cardiology clinical trials.

From Parexel 17 Nov 2009

Researchers discuss imaging techniques for early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease

With about 35 million people around the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the year 2010 and an expectation that these numbers will double every twenty years with approximately 115 million cases by 2050, pressure on healthcare systems worldwide will be intense. In a special issue of the journal Behavioural Neurology, twelve contributions from an international group of researchers discuss imaging techniques that may contribute to early diagnosis and advancements in treatment for this devastating disease.

11 Nov 2009

UOHI to receive $5.4M federal funds for development of new alternative radioisotope imaging tracers

Researchers from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) will receive nearly half of a $5.4 million federal fund to help solve a shortage of medical isotopes resulting from the shutdown of the Chalk River nuclear reactor. Two research teams will develop two new alternative radioisotope imaging tracers, test new applications for their use in diagnosing heart disease, and fast track production and distribution as quickly as possible across Canada.

10 Nov 2009

PET imaging is not the basis for increasing dosage level

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of non-small cell lung cancer prior to receiving radiation therapy should not be the basis for determining areas that may benefit from higher doses of radiation, according to research presented by investigators at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting (Abstract #2583/B-186).

4 Nov 2009

Molecular imaging pinpoints inflammation in the brains of schizophrenics and migraine sufferers

Inflammatory response of brain cells-as indicated by a molecular imaging technique-could tell researchers more about why certain neurologic disorders, such as migraine headaches and psychosis in schizophrenic patients, occur and provide insight into how to best treat them, according to two studies published in the November issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

31 Oct 2009

Bayer HealthCare's Phase II study results of imaging agent florbetaben

Bayer HealthCare presented results from a global Phase II study of florbetaben, its imaging agent in development for the detection of cerebral beta-Amyloid plaques, at the 19th World Congress of Neurology (WCN).

30 Oct 2009

Researchers report preclinical results of a novel PET biomarker designed to detect malignant breast tumors

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, supported in part by NuView Life Sciences, have published an article in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine reporting preclinical results of a novel PET biomarker designed to selectively detect malignant breast tumors.

30 Oct 2009

CMS requested for coverage of two FDG PET scans during the initial treatment

Seven medical imaging groups wrote a joint letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to formally request coverage of two fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scans for a patient during the initial treatment evaluation. Currently, CMS covers only one FDG-PET study during initial treatment-a limitation that the groups believe is contrary to good clinical practice under certain circumstances.

20 Oct 2009

Marker genes help determine the effectiveness of targeted molecular drug regimen for treating GIST

Analysis of a small number of marker genes may determine in a matter of hours if a patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) would respond to a targeted molecular drug regimen. This analysis could allow clinicians to determine if they have chosen the best course of action or need to consider another alternative.

15 Oct 2009

Decreased expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN transforms neurofibromas into cancer

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center showed for the first time that the loss or decreased expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN plays a central role in the malignant transformation of benign nerve tumors called neurofibromas into a malignant and extremely deadly form of sarcoma.

14 Oct 2009