AD molecular: Imaging tau aggregates with positron emissions tomography

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiochemistry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Pathologic tau protein aggregates are hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases, crucial for postmortem diagnosis and staging.
• Recent advancements in positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands now permit the in vivo detection of these tau aggregates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and characterization of novel PET radioligands for detecting tau pathophysiology.
• To illustrate the application of these ligands in clinical research for aging and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease.

Main Methods:

• Development and characterization of novel positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands.
• In vivo imaging of aggregated tau proteins in living subjects.
• Application in clinical studies focusing on aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Main Results:

• Successful development and characterization of multiple PET radioligands capable of detecting tau aggregates in vivo.
• Demonstration of the utility of these ligands in imaging tau pathology in living individuals.
• Application of tau-PET imaging in clinical research settings, including studies on Alzheimer's disease.

Conclusions:

• Positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands offer a powerful tool for non-invasive imaging of tau aggregates in vivo.
• These advancements facilitate earlier diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.
• Tau-PET imaging is transforming clinical research by enabling in vivo assessment of disease-specific proteinopathies.