Project Details
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 60-79% of all dementia. The disease is characterized by irreversible memory loss, continuous cognitive impairment, and behavior disturbances. Because of the increase in the number of elderly people, it is estimated that the worldwide number of patients with dementia (25 million in 2000) will increase to 63 million in 2030 and to 114 million in 2050. The etiology of AD remains unknown. Currently available evidence strongly supports the notion that the initiating event in AD is related to abnormal processing of beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptide, ultimately leading to formation of Aβ plaques in the brain. Recent advanced in molecular imaging showed that PET amyloid imaging is one of the most promising biomarkers for detecting and monitoring AD for its ability to detect amyloid plaque non-invasively. In addition, transgenic mouse (Tg) models are widely used in the development of new therapeutics against AD, such as Aβ immunotherapy or inhibitors of Aβ peptide. However, the initial attempts for translational studies using animal PET and Tg animals were unsuccessful, probably due to inappropriate radiotracer (i.e., 11C-PIB) and animal model (i.e., Tg2576 mice). The primary aim for this project is to longitudinally monitor amyloids in a living APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease by animal PET and radiotracer with high specific activity (i.e., 18F- florbetapir). The three years specific aims are to establish high specific 18F- florbetapir production and test the feasibility of detecting amyloids in AD mice by standardized animal PET protocol. Correlation between animal imaging to behavior tests and tissue autopsy results will also be carried out. The study results will provide important foundation for future AD drug development using PET imaging and Tg animals.
Project IDs
Project ID:PC10101-2092
External Project ID:NSC100-2314-B182A-091-MY3
External Project ID:NSC100-2314-B182A-091-MY3
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 01/08/12 → 31/07/13 |
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