MRI and PET scans to track treatment response in active cardiac sarcoidosis

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

You would have specialized 18F-FDG PET scans and cardiac MRI before and after immune-suppressant therapy so doctors can track inflammation, scarring, and blood flow in the heart. The team will measure multiple imaging parameters—like FDG uptake (inflammation), late gadolinium enhancement (fibrosis), and perfusion defects—and apply AI models to combine them into clearer response signals. They plan to define numerical thresholds that indicate meaningful improvement on scans to guide treatment decisions. Your imaging and clinical outcomes will be linked to see which scan changes match better heart health and fewer symptoms.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  New York, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Fayad, Zahi a. — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Study coordinator: Fayad, Zahi a.

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• Advanced imaging to monitor immune-suppressant therapy in active cardiac sarcoidosis

  A patient-focused imaging study to see how MRI and PET 18F-FDG can track how well immune-suppressant treatment is working for active cardiac sarcoidosis.

  NIH research Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · New York, United States · NIH-11392382

• Precision PET attenuation correction for heart PET/MR imaging

  Aimed at improving PET/MR heart imaging by perfecting how PET signals are corrected for tissue, so patients get accurate results in one combined test instead of separate scans.

  NIH research Ut Southwestern Medical Center · Dallas, United States · NIH-11378430

• CXCR3 Blockade as a Targeted Therapy for Cardiac Sarcoidosis

  A study to see if blocking CXCR3 can help treat heart involvement in sarcoidosis patients using advanced immune profiling and a mouse model.

  NIH research Stanford University · Stanford, United States · NIH-11372257

• Investigating imaging responses to immune suppressant therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis patients

  This study is looking at how well certain imaging tests can show if patients with cardiac sarcoidosis are responding to their immune-suppressing treatments, with the goal of finding better ways to help them feel better.

  NIH research Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · New York, United States · NIH-10999907

• Integrative metabolomics to improve sarcoidosis diagnosis and prognosis

  A research project from UCLA aims to find blood-based biomarkers that help diagnose sarcoidosis earlier and predict how it will progress, especially in African American women.

  NIH research University of California Los Angeles · Los Angeles, United States · NIH-11496248

• Predicting Lung Health in Sarcoidosis with Vitamin D Metabolism

  Aging individuals with sarcoidosis, especially Black/African American women, may benefit from a clearer plan that uses vitamin D biology to predict and improve lung health.

  NIH research University of California, San Francisco · San Francisco, United States · NIH-11451047

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.