Not your average PET!
Simon Zientek is a PhD student at the University of Cambridge. He tells us how PET scans could help us understand MS and find potential treatments.
Have you ever wondered how PET can help you? No, not your dog: Positron Emission Tomography (PET)! Here at Molecular Imaging Chemistry Laboratory (MICL) in Cambridge, we make radio-tagged tracers. A radio-tagged tracer is like a GPS tag and helps us to explore how MS evolves as your condition progresses.
What is PET and how can it be used in MS?
PET is a powerful imaging technique. It allows us to look at processes that occur in your body from the outside. With the use of radio-tagged tracers, we look at different biological targets. Biological targets can be biomolecules or process in the body like metabolism. They can be changed by medical conditions like MS, so they can give us important information about potential treatments.
We want to understand what causes the changes in the body in MS. Using PET, we can explore different biological targets that give us clues on what causes the progression of MS. We can also use PET to monitor the success of your medications. This can give your doctor more information to ensure you are receiving the best available treatment for your type of MS.
Our current research at MICL
When our body is hurt, a process known as inflammation occurs. In the brain, this is called neuroinflammation. In MS, neuroinflammation becomes uncontrolled. Yet we still don’t fully understand how this happens. Using PET, we aim to help answer this question. This can help us to develop new medicine to control neuroinflammation and prevent further damage.
Our research focuses on a new biological target called NAAA (N-Acylethanolamide acid amidase). NAAA has been shown to increase neuroinflammation in MS animal models. So we want to develop a new radio-tagged tracer which will allow us to locate and measure NAAA in the body. If we find that NAAA also worsens your condition, we can then look at making new medicine to stop this.
How does PET work?
First, you are given a safe amount of a radio-tagged tracer, typically via an injection. This passes freely around your body until it finds its biological target. Once found, the radio-tagged tracer stays where it is. After some time, it then breaks down releasing high energy light. We record this light when you have a PET scan. Using computers, we turn this light into a PET image. This image highlights where the radio-tagged tracer is in your body. It’s like attaching a GPS tag to your dog, setting them free in the park and tracking where they have run.
How can PET be used in MS Research?
In the clinic
PET has been an important tool in helping us to understand diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. However, PET currently has a limited role within the MS clinic. We therefore hope to develop the right tools for MS, drawing from our experiences working with other conditions.
In the laboratory
In the lab, our goal is to develop new radio-tagged tracers for all types of MS. To do this, we identify a new biological target that scientific evidence has shown to play a role in MS. We then design different radio-tagged tracers using a computer. Using our organic and radiochemistry skills, we perform experiments to make the radio-tagged tracer. Finally, we test our new radio-tagged tracer in different animal models. This tells us if the new biological target may have a benefit for you. If it does, our radio-tagged tracer can then be used in the clinic.
The future
PET has transformed our understanding of how other conditions develop. It's now PETs turn to light up MS. This will help to develop better medicines aiming to help improve your quality of life.
