Imaging artery disease in people with cocaine use
Official title: Atherosclerosis in cocaine addiction: imaging risk with PET/MR
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11304519 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses PET/MR scans with a glucose tracer to find early artery inflammation and plaque in people who use or used cocaine.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $749,074 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA049547-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11304519 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with current or past cocaine use—especially long-term users and older individuals at higher vascular risk.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of cocaine exposure or those who already have advanced, symptomatic arterial disease are unlikely to benefit from this early-detection imaging.
What this research studies
If you have used cocaine, this program uses a combined PET and MRI scan to look inside your carotid arteries for inflammation and plaque before symptoms appear. The PET scan uses a small amount of 18F-FDG (a sugar tracer) to highlight inflamed vessel walls while the MRI provides detailed 3D images of plaque and vessel structure. Scans are performed simultaneously on a hybrid PET/MR machine so clinicians can match inflammation to specific plaque features. Detecting disease early could help guide preventive care for aging people who used cocaine and often also used tobacco or alcohol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier detection of artery disease in people with cocaine exposure and help prevent strokes.
How similar studies have gone: PET/MR with 18F-FDG has detected vessel inflammation in other at-risk groups, but applying this combined approach to people with cocaine use is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Alia-Klein, Nelly — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Alia-Klein, Nelly
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Atherosclerosis in cocaine addiction: imaging risk with PET/MR
This project uses PET/MR imaging to look for early artery disease in people with cocaine use disorder to help prevent strokes or other brain injuries.
-
Investigating blood vessel health in people addicted to cocaine using advanced imaging techniques
This study is looking at how cocaine addiction might affect the health of your blood vessels, especially in older adults who have used cocaine, to catch early signs of heart problems before they become serious.
-
Coronary disease and immune activation in people with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection
This research looks at how having HIV and latent tuberculosis together might raise the risk of heart disease, and what immune changes are involved.
-
Reducing Addiction Risk in High Schools Through Better Prevention Infrastructure
Aims to build a sustainable, school-based system to prevent opioid and other drug use among high school students, especially those at higher risk.
-
HEAL Data Platform to share addiction-related data across programs
A platform project to make HEAL data from many programs easier to find and use, helping researchers and clinicians access information about addiction in children and youth.
-
PFAS may speed up artery disease by changing bile acids
Aims to see if PFAS chemicals make cholesterol rise and arteries more likely to harden, using a human-similar mouse model to understand how this could affect people.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.