Progress in imaging amyloid

Nobuyuki Okamura¹, Kazuhiko Yanai¹, Yukitsuka Kudo²

¹⁾Department of Pharmacology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
²⁾Tohoku University Biomedical Engineering Research Organization (TUBERO)

Progressive deposition of amyloid plaques is a critical event for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer'srsquo;s disease. In vivo detection of brain amyloid would be useful for preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer'srsquo;s disease and for clinical evaluation of anti-amyloid therapy. For in vivo detection of brain amyloid using positron emission tomography, tracer compounds must have high binding affinity for amyloid fibrils and adequate permeability of blood-brain barrier. Low nonspecific binding and appropriate clearance characteristics are also required to obtain optimal signal-to-noise ratios that allow detection of amyloid deposits. Several imaging probes have been developed and applied to human PET studies.

Address correspondence to Dr. Nobuyuki Okamura, Department of Pharmacology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine (2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aobaku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan)