New PET Tracer Can Identify Most Bacterial Infections

October 7, 2017

A team of Stanford Radiology researchers and their collaborators has developed a new labeling molecule, called 6"-18F-fluoromaltriose, allowing physicians to pinpoint the location of bacterial infections.

This research is the first time this maltotriose labeled with Fluorine-18 has been synthesized and used in animal models and shows that this agent has both very sensitive and very specific properties: it is able to pick up very few bacteria that may be present anywhere throughout the body and does not get confused if there is a site of infection that does not involve bacteria.

The traditional way of diagnosing bacterial infection involves biopsy of the infected tissue and/or blood and culture tests. 6"-18F-fluoromaltotriose offers a non-invasive means of detection and has the potential to change the clinical management of patients suffering from infectious diseases of bacterial origin.

Read the JNM abstract
Read the Stanford press release
Read the EurekAlert! article
Read the Health Imaging article