iNOS With Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in Cellular Inflammation.

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-06-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The primary purpose of this study is to measure the level of an enzyme in a patient's heart called inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging with a radioactive tracer called 18F-NOS. These PET results will be compared to tissue results obtained during routine endomyocardial heart biopsy. The enzyme iNOS produces nitric oxide in inflammatory diseases such as acute heart transplant rejection, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer. Thus, PET with the radioactive tracer 18F-NOS may be a useful tool for detecting the early stages of these diseases. The safety of 18F-NOS during the study will also be assessed. All PET imaging will be performed with a CTI/Siemens Biograph 40 PET/CT scanner. Protocol was revised to add new imaging modality, Biograph mMR PET-MR scanner in order to investigate new hardware and software in order to optimize scanning procedures in order to refine image quality so that we can apply the findings to future standard clinical scans and research imaging studies. Ten additional status-post OHT patients who are scheduled for standard of care endomyocardial biopsy for allograft rejection surveillance will undergo PET/MR imaging with [18F](+/-)NOS.

• Phase: Early Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. The OHT patients will be undergoing surveillance endomyocardial biopsy and will Patients 21 years of age or older of either sex, who are status-post OHT and normal healthy volunteers (2 women and 2 men) will be enrolled.be on standard immunosuppressive therapy and anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic therapies as needed. "Healthy volunteer" is someone who has volunteered to be imaged and who, based on physical exam and baseline electrocardiogram, has no evidence of cardiovascular disease, is not on medication, such as steroids, that will interfere with the accuracy of measuring [18F](+/-)NOS activity and is not under the care of a physician for any active medical conditions.

2. Able to give informed consent.

3. Not currently pregnant or nursing: Female subjects must be either: surgically sterile (has had a documented bilateral oophorectomy and/or documented hysterectomy), post menopausal (cessation of menses for more than 1 year), or of childbearing potential for whom a urine pregnancy test (with the test performed within the 24 hour period immediately prior to administration of [18F](+/-)NOS) is negative.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with an unstable cardiovascular (e.g., severe rejection) or other clinical condition (e.g., active severe infection) that in the opinion of the Principal Investigator or designee or Dr. Ewald precludes participation in the study.

2. Unable to tolerate 60-90 mins of PET imaging or is claustrophobic.

3. Normal volunteers with evidence of cardiovascular disease or other diseases based on clinical evaluation and/or blood laboratory tests, which are judged by the Principal Investigator or designee to interfere with accurate determination of the of [18F](+/-)NOS on such measures.