March 2025 – New PET Method Maps Blood-Brain Barrier Transport with High-Speed Imaging

  • by Emic-Admin

A new study led by Kevin Chung, along with Drs. Guobao Wang and Simon Cherry at UC Davis, presents a cutting-edge PET imaging technique to quantify blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in humans. Published in Nature Communications, the research shows that dynamic PET scans with high temporal resolution (1-second and 2-second frames) can noninvasively track how different molecules cross the BBB—without the need for blood sampling or multiple tracers.

Using this fast-imaging framework, the team analyzed three tracers: [18F]FDG, [18F]fluciclovine, and [11C]butanol. Each showed distinct patterns of BBB transport consistent with their biological properties. The method enabled simultaneous estimation of blood flow and molecular transfer rates in just two minutes of scan time.

Importantly, the approach also detected age-related changes and reduced transport in individuals with liver inflammation, suggesting broader clinical applications in studying brain-liver axis.

This novel PET framework offers a rapid, noninvasive tool for mapping BBB function, with potential relevance in aging, neuroinflammation, drug development, and metabolic disorders.

Congratulations to Chung et al. and the UC Davis team on this important breakthrough!

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