Hybrid PET/MRI Biomedical Imaging of Bacteria

细菌的混合 PET/MRI 生物医学成像

• 批准号: 576699-2022
• 负责人: Prato, FrankFS
• 金额: $ 23.3万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=755748
• 关键词: Hybrid; PET; MRI; Biomedical; Imaging

If we could image bacteria inside patients and identify the species, we would have a powerful weapon against drug resistant bacteria (DRB). As antibiotics originated from yeast, which need to protect themselves from all bacteria, antibiotics are not bacteria species selective. Hence overuse has resulted in damaging beneficial bacteria in our gut as well as the rise of DRB. The World Health Organization and the Government of Canada predict that by 2050 if new treatments are not developed more people will die from bacterial infections than from cancer. Today medical imaging can only see the damage to our bodies caused by infection. If instead bacteria themselves could be imaged and their species identified, treatment could start with more selective antibiotics before tissue is damaged. We have discovered that a) bacteria have an MRI characteristic that is 15 times greater than human or animal tissue and b) that specific species of bacteria and specific viruses that kill bacteria can be selectively labeled with a positron emission tomography probe. Here we propose to combine these discoveries into a hybrid PET/MRI method to image bacteria. We have filed a patent to protect these discoveries and have the support of four Canadian companies.First we will develop a new method to produce the needed PET probe. Second, we will develop a PET/MRI method to image bacteria in the gut. This imaging technology is needed to understand the role of gut bacteria in human health and is needed to assist in the development of treatment for DRB infection such as fecal transplantation or ingestion of probiotics. Third, we will develop a method to detect specific bacteria in the body that are not in the gut including bacteria that have passed from the gut into the rest of the body.

如果我们能够对患者体内的细菌进行成像并确定其种类，我们将拥有对抗耐药细菌（DRB）的有力武器。由于抗生素起源于酵母，需要保护自己免受所有细菌的侵害，抗生素对细菌种类没有选择性。因此，过度使用导致了我们肠道中有益细菌的破坏以及DRB的增加。世界卫生组织和加拿大政府预测，如果不开发新的治疗方法，到2050年死于细菌感染的人数将超过死于癌症的人数。今天的医学成像只能看到感染对我们身体造成的损害。如果可以对细菌本身进行成像并确定其种类，则可以在组织受损之前开始使用更具选择性的抗生素进行治疗。我们已经发现：a)细菌的核磁共振特征是人类或动物组织的15倍；b)可以用正电子发射断层扫描探针选择性地标记特定种类的细菌和杀死细菌的特定病毒。在这里，我们建议将这些发现结合到PET/MRI混合方法中来成像细菌。我们已经申请了专利来保护这些发现，并得到了四家加拿大公司的支持。首先，我们将开发一种新的方法来生产所需的PET探针。其次，我们将开发一种PET/MRI方法来成像肠道中的细菌。需要这种成像技术来了解肠道细菌在人类健康中的作用，并需要协助开发DRB感染的治疗方法，如粪便移植或摄入益生菌。第三，我们将开发一种方法来检测体内不存在于肠道中的特定细菌，包括从肠道进入身体其他部位的细菌。