Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) for Detection and Therapy Monitoring of Synovitis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

风湿性关节炎（RA）是最常见的慢性炎性关节疾病，影响欧洲和北美约1 - 2%的人口，并导致高医疗保健费用。疾病的早期诊断以及改进的治疗监测对于有效的医学治疗至关重要。诊断通常使用临床标准进行，成像仅起次要作用，因为X射线的发现在疾病的早期过程中是有限的。因此，对发炎关节的敏感检测对于评估疾病的程度和监测对治疗的反应至关重要。对比度增强多光谱光声层析成像（MSOT）是一种新型的组织深层高分辨率层析分子成像技术。这种技术是一种非侵入性和非电离成像方式，可以允许检测关节炎的图像采集时间为几秒钟。在这个项目中，我们将实施，评估和优化MSOT用于类风湿关节炎的检测和治疗监测。成像技术将在实验动物研究中建立，然后我们希望在临床试点中测试MSOT，用于检测类风湿性关节炎患者手部的滑膜炎。

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory joint disease, affecting approximately 1 to 2 % of the population in Europe and North America and resulting in high health care expenses. Early diagnosis of the disease as well as improved therapy monitoring are essential for an effective medical treatment. Diagnosis is typically made using clinical criteria with imaging playing only a secondary role, as findings on X-rays are limited in the early course of the disease. A sensitive detection of inflamed joints is therefore essential for the evaluation of the extent of the disease and for monitoring response to therapy. Contrast enhanced Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) is a novel technology for high-resolution, tomographic molecular imaging deep inside tissues. This technique is a non-invasive and non-ionizing imaging modality which may allow the detection of arthritis with image acquisition times of a few seconds. In this project, we will implement, evaluate and optimize MSOT for detection and therapy monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis. The imaging technique will be established in experimental animal studies, then we want to test MSOT in a clinical pilot for detection of synovitis in the hands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.