Portable upright high-resolution brain PET scan for early Alzheimer's detection
Prism-PET/EMMT: High resolution, cost effective, portable, and upright brain PET scanner for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
It uses a new portable, upright high-resolution PET scanner together with a tau tracer to detect early Alzheimer's-related brain changes in adults at risk for the disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11195609 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would receive a PET brain scan using the new Prism-PET device that is upright, portable, and designed to attach to community CT scanners, combined with the [18F]MK6240 tau tracer to image early tau buildup. The scanner includes an electromagnetic motion tracker (EMMT) and higher spatial resolution to reduce image blur and meningeal ‘‘spill-in’’ artifacts that make small areas hard to see. The study will scan people with no or mild symptoms and compare the Prism-PET images to standard PET images to see if it finds tau in the perirhinal and entorhinal cortex (Braak I-II) earlier. Procedures are intended to be lower-cost and more accessible outside major medical centers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (typically older adults) who are concerned about or at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease, including those without symptoms or with mild cognitive impairment, and who can undergo PET imaging are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People with advanced dementia already evident on standard imaging, those unable to tolerate PET scans, or those with contraindications to the tracer are unlikely to benefit directly from this imaging approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier and more widely available detection of Alzheimer's-related tau changes so people could access diagnosis and treatment sooner.
How similar studies have performed: Tau PET tracers such as [18F]MK6240 have shown promising ability to map tau, but ultra‑high‑resolution upright PET scanners with motion tracking are novel and have limited prior human testing.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goldan, Amirhossein — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Goldan, Amirhossein
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 below.