Listen with
Speechify
Register for free to listen to this article
Thank you. Listen to this article using the player above. ✖
Want to listen to this article for FREE?
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
Summary
A novel PET imaging method, using the radiotracer 11C-MC1, successfully quantifies COX-2 enzyme levels in the human brain. This technique opens the door for earlier detection, monitoring of disease progression and evaluating anti-inflammatory treatments for brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Key Takeaways
11C-MC1 PET imaging measures COX-2 in the brain, linked to neuroinflammation.
COX-2 could be a biomarker for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The method may transform personalized medicine and therapeutic development in neurology.
A novel PET imaging approach can effectively quantify a key enzyme associated with brain inflammation, according to research published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The first-in-human study, which imaged the COX-2 enzyme, offers a never-before-seen view of inflammation in the brain, opening the door for COX-2 PET imaging to be used in clinical and research settings for various brain disorders.
COX-2 is an enzyme in the brain that can be markedly upregulated by inflammatory stimuli and neuroexcitation. Researchers say that the density of COX-2 in the brain may be a biomarker and effect of inflammation, even if it is not a mediator of the inflammatory process.
“While COX-2 has been widely studied in peripheral inflammation, its role in neuroinflammation has been difficult to quantify in vivo,” stated Robert B. Innis, MD, PhD, senior investigator in the Molecular Imaging Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. “We sought to establish a non-invasive imaging method to measure COX-2 in the living brain to enable earlier disease detection, monitor disease progression, and assess anti-inflammatory treatments.”
Want more breaking news?
Subscribe to Technology Networks’ daily newsletter, delivering breaking science news straight to your inbox every day.
Subscribe for FREE
This study evaluated the ability of 11C-MC1 to measure COX-2 levels in the healthy human brain. First, 11C-MC1’s affinity for human COX-2 was assessed by conducting PET imaging in rats injected with lipopolysaccharide and in humanized transgenic COX-2 mice. Specific binding to human COX-2 was confirmed. Subsequently, 27 healthy human volunteers were imaged with 11C-MC1 PET to quantify the density of COX-2 in the human brain.
Among study participants, 11C-MC1 efficiently crossed the blood–brain barrier, bound to its designated target, and demonstrated high specificity for human COX-2. The radiotracer also had a moderate ratio of specific to background uptake binding potential in cortical regions.
“Neuroinflammation plays a critical role in many neurological and psychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and major depressive disorder,” noted Innis. “This could be a game-changer for personalized medicine and therapeutic development. It also demonstrates the potential for developing other PET tracers to investigate neuroinflammation, broadening the applications of nuclear medicine in neurology and psychiatry.”
Reference: Yan X, Noergaard M, Morse CL, et al. PET quantification in healthy humans of cyclooxygenase-2, a potential biomarker of neuroinflammation. J Nucl Med. 2025;66(3):398-404. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.124.268525
This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessedhere.
This content includes text that has been generated with the assistance of AI. Technology Networks' AI policy can be foundhere.