GE presents data on Flutemetamol PET imaging agent to detect amyloid plaques

31 Jan 2011

Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. New clinical research data suggests that [18F] Flutemetamol could add value to current diagnostic tools used to provide accurate identification of beta amyloid plaques in the brain.

The plaques are considered to be a sign of neurodegeneration linked to Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

Flutemetamol, a GE Healthcare PET imaging agent currently in phase III development, is being studied to identify the uptake of beta amyloid via imaging of the brain tissue in live humans. Currently, beta amyloid is identified from brain samples acquired post-mortem. Together with other GE Healthcare imaging modalities, this may help physicians detect amyloid deposition and assist in the detection and treatment of AD.

"The wealth of data presented this year at the annual HAI meeting fundamentally supports the value Flutemetamol could bring to the Alzheimer's community," said Jonathan Allis, MI PET Segment Leader, GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics. "The ability to make visual assessments of amyloid in AD patients may enable physicians to seek earlier, confirmed diagnosis of AD and make more informed care decisions."

Data highlights from five clinical abstracts from studies of Flutemetamol to be featured at the 5th Annual Human Amyloid Imaging (HAI) meeting in Miami, Florida suggest that:

the in vivo PET retention of Flutemetamol and PIB (Pittsburgh Compound B) have comparable patterns of binding;
there is a strong concordance between Flutemetamol amyloid imaging and cortical biopsy histopathology using both visual and quantitative methods;
the combination of Flutemetamol and structural MRI can provide information that could be useful in understanding other (non-AD) neuro-degenerative diseases and in identifying beta amyloid formation; and
Flutemetamol scans can be categorized with automated software suitable for use in clinical practice.

"At GE Healthcare, our scientists and researchers remain fully committed to developing enhanced diagnostics tools that may help Alzheimer's Disease patients and their families get accurate information as early as possible," said Pascale Witz, CEO, GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics.