Development of an automated quantification tool for amyloid PET

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K19882
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Radiation science
• Research Institution: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (2017-2018); Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation (2016)
• Principal Investigator: Akamatsu Go 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線医学総合研究所 計測・線量評価部, 博士研究員(任非) (00726557)
• Research Collaborator: IKARI yasuhiko ; MIKI shuya ; OHNISHI akihito ; YAMAMOTO yasuji ; SENDA michio
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 核医学 / PET / アミロイドPET / 認知症 / アルツハイマー病

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Brain amyloid PET plays an important role in detection of in vivo amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaque deposition as a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Quantitative analysis of amyloid PET has been widely performed to accurately measure amyloid deposition, especially in clinical research and trial. However, an individual high-resolution MRI was required for amyloid PET quantification process. Therefore, we developed a PET-only amyloid quantification method in this study.
The research findings were published in academic journals and we applied for Japan and US patents.

Free Research Field

核医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまではMRIの撮像や高価な画像処理ソフトウェアが必要であったアミロイドPETの定量評価が、MRIなしで簡便に安価で実施できるようになります。その結果、アミロイドPETの読影補助や経時的変化の評価が研究や診療において広く実施できるようになります。ひいては、アルツハイマー病等の認知症の研究、診療、治療薬開発の促進につながると期待されます。