Study of [11C]PBR28 TSPO PET as a disease marker in MS patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study of [11C]PBR28 TSPO PET as a disease marker in MS patients
IRAS ID
146181
Contact name
Paul M. M. Matthews
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Compliance Office, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Research summary
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease where parts of the brain develop inflammation. These areas of inflammation are often rich in activated microglia, which are the immune cells of the brain. Conventional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)provides limited information about this inflammation, and hence there has been considerable interest in alternative imaging methods that have the potential of showing brain inflammation better. Imaging of microglial activation in MS could represent a means of measuring inflammation in the brain.
Microglia have high concentrations of The 18kDa Translocator Protein (TSPO). Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging can detect proteins using radioligands (a radioligand is a drug or protein which has been tagged with radioactivity) following injection into a patient. [11C]PBR28, a positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand which attaches strongly (“high affinity binding“)to the TSPO, can be used to measure activated microglia.
The aim of this study, therefore, is to assess the relationship in MS between microglial activation (defined by the [11C]PBR28 signal), and disease burden as assessed clinically and by brain MRI. As only limited information on the day to day variability of the signal exists (called “test-retest variability“) , we will also characterise test-retest variability of the [11C]PBR28 signal.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0445
Date of REC Opinion
25 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion