PET Radiotracers for Diagnosis and Patient Stratification of Neurodegenerative Disorders

Small molecules that bind to alpha-synuclein deposition and can be used for PET imagining in patients with synucleinopathies

Problem:

Imaging alpha-synuclein (αS) using noninvasive techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) can help with the early diagnosis of synucleinopathies. Previous PET radiotracers suffer from low binding affinity and off-target binding to structurally similar proteins, such as amyloid-beta (Ab) and tau. Currently, there is no clear candidate for PET imaging studies in patients with synucleinopathies.

Solution:

Dr. Robert Mach and his team at the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania have identified different scaffolds that exhibit varying propertied for imaging alpha-synuclein in the brains of patients with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's Disease (PD. This is a promising development in the clinical differentiation of MSA and PD patients and the monitoring of therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing alpha synuclein burden in the synucleinopathies.

Advantages:

  • High binding affinity for alpha-synuclein: low nanomolar range
  • 10-20 fold selectivity vs. tau
  • 5-20 fold selectivity vs. amyloid beta
  • High brain uptake and rapid washout



PET radiotracers combining autoradiography enable visualizing the distribution of aggregated α-synuclein in PD and MSA tissues

Stage of Development:

  • Proof of Concept
  • Early stage clinical trials

Intellectual Property:


PCT Filed

Reference Media:

Desired Partnerships:

  • License
  • Co-development
Patent Information: