Imaging the inflammatory response with PET could provide more information about traumatic brain injury (TBI) than conventional CT and MRI methods, according to preliminary research presented during the Military Health System Research Symposium held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Aug. 12.

A team of researchers including James Stone, MD, PhD, a radiologist and neuroscientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Va., are using PET to trace neutrophils as they go on the defensive in response to trauma to the brain.

“It’s definitely a new direction for TBI—using the body’s own immune system is completely new in the field of trauma imaging,” Stone told Molecular Imaging.  

Researchers used an investigational compound similar to others used to image lung infections. The compound, cFLFLF, is conjugated with Cu-64 and acts as a “Trojan horse,” targeting neutrophils and gaining access to the brain via the cerebral spinal fluid (CFF) barrier opening. This is ideal, as CFF routes provide a sufficient through-way to various parts of the brain that could be affected as a result of injury.

This could lead to more accurate detection and detail of serious brain injury as the researchers noted that CT and MRI have a tendency toward false-negative results when imaging for concussions and TBI, because they are picking up only structural changes in the brain related to bruising, blood pooling and tissue tearing.

“There is a tremendous disconnect between what we know is happening and what we find with conventional imaging,” added Stone.

This new PET technique targets subtle immune response and could prove to be far more sensitive for TBI. Originally funded for use in a military context, this research has the potential to be used in any trauma center.

Additional studies and regulatory approval would be needed to bring it to clinical use.