A molecular imaging technology aimed at rapid diagnosis of cell death in organs such as the brain and heart has been licensed by The Medical College of Wisconsin to GE Healthcare. The license allows GE to further evaluate and develop the invention and provides an option to commercialize the technology, which uses imaging probes with a radiopharmaceutical compound. The probes bind to dead and dying cells, making them useful for detecting acute cell injury and cell death. When the active component of this molecule is attached to a radioactive tracer, it can be used in nuclear medicine imaging techniques, such as PET (positron emission tomography) or SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), to produce three-dimensional images of where this cell death is occurring. “Imaging agent discovery and development is an important aspect in molecular and medical imaging research,” says Ming Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of biophysics at the Medical College and inventor of the technology. “The process is critical for the improvement of existing imaging technologies and for early detection of acute cell death, cancerous tissue growth, and major vessel diseases.”<\/p>\n
The ability to image dead and dying cells could allow oncologists to rapidly monitor tumor response to a specific therapy, Zhao points out. Another potential application is for rapid diagnosis of myocardial infarction, since patients who come to the ER complaining of chest pain often require an expensive overnight hospital stay so they can be monitored while their lab results are being processed. The new compound could allow clinicians to image the heart noninvasively and determine within a few hours if the patient had a heart attack or something else. Zhao’s research was supported by a proof-of-concept grant administered by the Medical College’s Office of Technology Development (OTD), which has filed several patent applications on the technology. “Working with the market leader in medical imaging allows this technology to be quickly moved from the research laboratory into patient care,” says Dennis Devitt, director of marketing and licensing for the OTD.<\/p>\n