Intravascular Camera

本提案的目的是开发一种血管内成像检测器来识别易损的冠状动脉斑块。该探测器的工作原理是感应斑块结合放射性示踪剂释放的β或转换电子示踪剂。因此，70%的心脏病发作是由最小阻塞性易损斑块引起的，这些斑块太小而无法通过血管造影检测到。这一特征将使有针对性和成本效益的治疗能够预防急性冠状动脉疾病，如：不稳定心绞痛、急性心肌梗死和心源性猝死。冠状动脉造影不能确定动脉粥样硬化的状态，只能测量血管的管腔尺寸，而不能提供斑块含量的信息。在过去的12个月里，初步工作克服了尺寸、灵敏度和符合血管内环境的技术限制，并确定了探测器的技术方法。在这个项目的第一阶段，我们将为探测器准备原型组件，并使用潜在的斑块标记放射性示踪剂表征它们的性能，以评估血管内斑块检测方法的可行性。在第二阶段，将制作一个完整的原型系统，并使用动物模型进行评估。拟议的商业应用：一种能够先发制人治疗冠状动脉疾病的设备的商业和医疗价值是不言而喻的。全世界每年有超过200万例导管诊断手术，这些手术将立即有资格通过导管对易损斑块进行诊断。

The objective of this proposal is to develop an intravascular imaging detector to identify vulnerable coronary artery plaques. The detector will work by sensing beta or conversion electron radiotracer emissions from plaque-binding radiotracers. Thereby, a signature will be obtained for the 70% of heart attacks that are caused by minimally obstructive vulnerable plaques which are too small to be detected by angiography. This signature will enable targeted and cost effective therapies to prevent acute coronary artery diseases such as: unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. Coronary angiography is unable to define the status of the atheroma, and only measures the luminal dimensions of the blood vessel, without providing information about plaque content. Over the past 12 months preliminary work overcome the technical constraints of size, sensitivity and conformance to the intravascular environment and identified technological approaches for the detector. In the first phase of this program we will prepare prototype assemblies for the detector and characterize their performance using potential plaque labeling radiotracers in order to assess the feasibility of the approach for intravascular plaque detection. In Phase II a complete prototype system will be fabricated and evaluated using animal models. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The commercial and medical value of a device that can enable preemptive treatment of coronary artery disease is self evident. Over 2 million catheterization diagnostic procedures are performed annually worldwide that would immediately qualify for augmentation with catheter based diagnosis of vulnerable plaque.