Novel Imaging Tracers for Rapid and Noninvasive Assessment of Bacterial Infection

描述（由申请人提供）：非侵入性成像是用于早期诊断和监测各种疾病过程的强大临床工具。下一代分子成像有望为可视化感染提供无与伦比的机会，因为分子和细胞的变化在病理过程中比结构变化更早发生。这种快速发展的技术已经成为肿瘤学领域的重要工具，对传染病也有类似的潜力。 利用小分子通过选择性生长培养基分化微生物是临床微生物学的支柱。然而，目前诊断和监测感染的工具依赖于对可疑部位进行采样，然后进行培养或分子技术。这种方法有几个局限性-侵入性，往往是危险的，耗时，并受到不正确的采样和污染。我们已经利用细菌内存在的独特生化途径开发了一系列用于检测、定量和监测细菌感染的新型特异性成像示踪剂。作为概念的证明，我们系统地筛选了400个随机14 C和3 H标记化合物的文库，用于细菌（但不是宿主细胞）的代谢和摄取。从这个文库中，我们随后开发了成像示踪剂，可以区分细菌感染和非感染性过程，也可以区分细菌类别。我们的中心假设是，通过原核特异性途径（而不是宿主细胞）代谢的小分子可以开发成细菌特异性成像示踪剂，可以区分感染和非感染过程，并提供有关引起感染的细菌类别的信息。 我们提议进行多学科合作，开发一系列新型成像示踪剂，用于快速、无创地评估细菌感染，这将提供一个检测和区分广泛病原菌的综合平台。此外，我们还建议开发成像技术作为研究抗菌药物多室药代动力学的平台。这些技术是一个新兴的研究领域，克服了当前工具的几个基本限制，并将对基础研究和患者护理产生广泛的影响。除了诊断和监测疾病外，这些技术还将为动物研究提供统一的跨物种平台;允许对疾病发病机制的独特见解;并加快新疗法的临床转化。最后，由于分子成像对人类来说很容易获得，因此经过验证的示踪剂将成为临床应用的有价值的工具，并使感染性疾病的个性化医疗成为可能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Non-invasive imaging is a powerful clinical tool for the early diagnosis, and monitoring of various disease processes. Next generation molecular imaging promises unparalleled opportunities for visualizing infections since molecular and cellular alterations occur earlier in a pathologic process, than structural changes. This rapidly developing technology has already become an essential tool in the field of oncology, with similar potential for infectious diseases. Differentiation of microbes by selective growth media, utilizin small molecules, is a mainstay of clinical microbiology. However, current tools to diagnose and monitor infections are dependent upon sampling suspected sites, and then performing culture or molecular techniques. This approach has several limitations - invasive, often dangerous, time consuming, and subject to incorrect sampling and contamination. We have exploited the unique biochemical pathways present within bacteria to develop a pipeline of novel and specific imaging tracers for detecting, quantifying and monitoring bacterial infections. As proof of concept, we systematically screened a library of 400 random 14C and 3H labeled compounds for metabolism and uptake by bacteria (but not host cells). From this library, we subsequently developed imaging tracers that could differentiate bacterial infections from non-infectious processes, and also allow discrimination between bacterial classes. Our central hypothesis is that small molecules metabolized by prokaryotic-specific pathways (but not host cells), could be developed into bacteria-specific imaging tracers that could differentiate infections from non-infectious processes and also provide information on the bacterial class causing the infection. We propose a multi-disciplinary collaboration, for developing a pipeline of novel imaging tracers for rapid and noninvasive assessment of bacterial infections that will provide a comprehensive platform to detect and discriminate a wide spectrum of pathogenic bacteria. In addition, we also propose the development of imaging as a platform to study multi-compartment pharmacokinetics of antimicrobial drugs. These technologies are an emerging field of research, overcome several fundamental limitations of current tools, and will have a broad impact on both basic research and patient care. Beyond diagnosis and monitoring disease, these technologies will also provide a uniform cross-species platform for animal studies; allow unique insights into understanding disease pathogenesis; and expedite bench-to-bedside translation of new therapeutics. Finally, since molecular imaging is readily available for humans, validated tracers will become valuable tools for clinical applications, and for enabling personalized medicine for infectious diseases.