Hip
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An incredible project is underway to develop special PET scans which can detect the precise locations of viral infections in the body:
Article from Polybio website:
Total Body Pet Imaging To Identify Deep-Tissue SARS-CoV-2 Reservoirs In Long COVID
The team at University of California San Francisco plan to use radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies which bind to SARS-CoV-2 to identify tissue reservoirs of the virus in long COVID patients via a PET scan.
This is what a PET scan to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the body might look like:
If this works, the team plan to extend it to other viruses and bacteria, in patients with other chronic diseases:
A new, more sensitive PET scanner is being used for this project.
Interview with project leader Dr Tim Henrich:
Article from Polybio website:
Total Body Pet Imaging To Identify Deep-Tissue SARS-CoV-2 Reservoirs In Long COVID
The team at University of California San Francisco plan to use radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies which bind to SARS-CoV-2 to identify tissue reservoirs of the virus in long COVID patients via a PET scan.
This is what a PET scan to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the body might look like:
If this works, the team plan to extend it to other viruses and bacteria, in patients with other chronic diseases:
If the project team can successfully image SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs in patients with Long COVID, they can begin to radiolabel therapeutics that target other pathogens implicated in human chronic disease. This would greatly increase the general understanding of pathogen persistence throughout the human body, with strong implications for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other conditions increasingly tied to persistent viral or bacterial activity in tissue.
A new, more sensitive PET scanner is being used for this project.
A major strength of the project is that it pushes the boundaries of how imaging technologies can be used to identify persistent pathogens in the human body. The EXPLORER PET scanner that will be used in this study is the first FDA-approved full-body PET scanner and was created by two members of the project team.
The scanner has an effective sensitivity for total-body imaging that is 40-fold higher than current commercial scanners and is expected to revolutionize how PET imaging can be used in both biomedical research and ultimately in clinical practice. This video provides more information on the EXPLORER PET scanner and its innovative features.
Interview with project leader Dr Tim Henrich:
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