Better lung imaging to map where inhaled medicines and particles go

A prospective study to support validation of lung deposition models with nuclear medicine imaging methods

NIH-funded research Fluidda, INC. · NIH-11187064

This project will use advanced PET or SPECT scans combined with CT maps to show where inhaled particles deposit in people's lungs.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionFluidda, INC. NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11187064 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, researchers will use a safe radiotracer and high-resolution PET or SPECT scans to image how inhaled particles travel and settle in the airways. They will combine those nuclear images with CT-based maps of your lung anatomy to pinpoint deposition down to small airway branches and segments. The team will refine imaging protocols to get clearer, faster pictures than older methods and adjust analyses to reflect disease-related airway differences. The work is being done with regulatory input to make the results useful for improving computer models and future inhaled therapies.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who can safely undergo PET or SPECT imaging and inhalation of a tracer, including people with airway conditions like asthma or COPD as well as healthy volunteers.

Not a fit: People who are pregnant, unable to tolerate imaging (for example severe claustrophobia), or who cannot safely receive a radiotracer may not be eligible and would not gain direct benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help make inhaled medicines more effective and safer by showing exactly where doses reach in healthy and diseased lungs.

How similar studies have performed: Related nuclear imaging and CT-based mapping methods have been used before to study lung deposition, but this project applies newer PET/SPECT resolution and refined CT segmentation to reach smaller airways and improve accuracy.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.