Rapid bedside molecular imaging of heart inflammation with ultrasound
Official title: Rapid Point-of-Care Molecular Imaging of Immune Activation in ACS and Acute Myocarditis
Funded at University of Virginia · NIH-11445354 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A fast, point-of-care ultrasound test using special contrast bubbles may help doctors quickly see active heart inflammation in people with chest pain or suspected ACS.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $802,973 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL182839-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11445354 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults presenting with acute chest pain or suspected ACS in the emergency department or acute care settings.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without signs of myocardial inflammation or those not undergoing contrast-enhanced imaging may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a new ultrasound imaging approach that uses targeted microbubble contrast to snap-freeze immune activity at the heart’s blood vessels. By applying a special shell on these bubbles, the team hopes to attach them to activated immune and endothelial cells to reveal inflammation during acute heart events. The goal is to speed up diagnosis or exclusion of acute coronary syndrome by showing recent inflammation at the bedside. The work builds on early human experience with ischemic memory imaging and aims to translate it into routine clinical use in emergency settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from faster and more accurate identification of heart inflammation, potentially guiding treatment decisions at the point of care.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical models and early human studies suggest feasibility of molecular ultrasound imaging to detect myocardial inflammation, with promising ischemic memory findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lindner, Jonathan R — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Lindner, Jonathan R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Muscle-Related Enzyme TRIM55 and Autoimmune Heart Inflammation in Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome
A new research project studies how a muscle-specific enzyme called TRIM55 drives autoimmune heart inflammation in a genetic syndrome.
-
Targeted CXCR3 blockade to treat immunotherapy-related heart inflammation
A targeted drug approach aims to prevent or lessen heart inflammation caused by immune therapies in cancer patients, using CXCR3-blocking strategies.
-
Viral tricks that disrupt heart cell connections in myocarditis
This grant looks at how a common cold virus (adenovirus) may mess with the heart’s electrical signals and could lead to dangerous arrhythmias in people with myocarditis.
-
Immunologic and Antigenic Drivers of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor–Associated Heart Inflammation
A doctor-scientist team is studying why cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint drugs sometimes develop dangerous heart inflammation and what immune targets cause it.
-
Understanding how T cells and heart cells talk in a life-threatening heart inflammation from cancer immunotherapy
A doctor–scientist will study how immune T cells interact with heart cells in people treated for cancer who develop dangerous inflammation from immune checkpoint inhibitors.
-
CXCR6+ T-cells and ICI-related heart inflammation
A physician-scientist at UC San Francisco is studying how specific heart-damaging immune cells (CXCR6+ T-cells) contribute to dangerous heart inflammation caused by cancer immunotherapy.
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.