R01AG072743

First-In-Human Evaluation of an Astrocytic Glutamate Transporter (EAAT2) PET Tracer in Healthy and Alzheimer's Diseased Brain - Project Summary

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias represent a growing public health concern with tremendous impact on patients and their families. Efforts to treat AD effectively are partially confounded by different hypotheses regarding its initiation and progression. The varying hypotheses are reflected in the range of highly informative imaging methods used to study AD and its progression, such as positron emission tomography (PET) targeted to specific cerebral proteins.

In this project, we will develop a novel [18F]-labeled PET imaging tracer, RP-115, to evaluate changes in astrocytes in healthy versus cognitively impaired AD patients by quantitative PET imaging of the excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) that is primarily localized on astrocytes and is significantly down-regulated in select cerebral regions of AD brain. The project hypothesis is that regional cerebral decreases of RP-115 tracer binding to astrocyte EAAT2 detected by PET imaging in live human brain can be used as an early and sensitive measure of AD onset and progression.

The First-In-Human project objective is composed of two translational development goals: 1) to establish RP-115 tracer human safety, and 2) to utilize the tracer to assess regional cerebral EAAT2 tracer binding differences in healthy vs. AB-, PTAU-, and cognitively-defined AD patients; and compare the EAAT2 AD data to existing AD FDG and MAO-B astrocytic-related PET profiles.

We will test the hypothesis and satisfy the translational project objective by accomplishing three specific aims.

Aim 1: Establish RP-115 safety in the clinic with male and female PET imaging.

Aim 2: Acquire RP-115 EAAT2 imaging data in well-defined male and female healthy control and AD patient cohorts.

Aim 3: Analyze the PET imaging data.

San Francisco Regents Of The University Of California

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

San Francisco, California 941075705 United States

Single Zip Code

Development and Application of PET and SPECT Imaging Ligands as Biomarkers for Drug Discovery and for Pathophysiological Studies of CNS Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-20-038)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 312% from $784,058 to $3,230,250.