MINDMAPS 2.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of expression of Mitochondrial Complex 1 in brains of people with early Alzheimer’s Disease pathology using [18F]BCPP-EF PET
IRAS ID
341761
Contact name
Paul M Matthews
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The purpose of this study is to test whether a PET scanning method can measure any change in the numbers of brain mitochondria (the “powerhouses” for nerves and other cells) in people with Alzheimer’s Disease or in people with risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The PET scanning involves the use of a special molecule labelled with a radioactive tag that can bind to mitochondria to make them “light up” on the PET pictures generated. These tagged molecules called “radiotracers” are administered in extremely low tracer amounts. The more mitochondria there are, the greater the signal that is seen on PET pictures of the brain.
Although the PET scan can inform us about specific parts of cells in the brain, it does not give very detailed information about where they are relative to parts of the brain that may be change with disease. Therefore, we will also perform a magnetic resonance (MRI) scan. MRI uses a large magnet to take very detailed pictures of the different structures in the brain. We then can combine data from the PET and MRI to get a detailed picture of the brain structures that might show changes in these molecules with aging or early disease.Our findings will provide understanding related to early events leading to the Alzheimer’s Disease and those contributing to its signatures of the disease, that will help us track the progression. We believe that this new understanding will help in the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s in the future.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0699
Date of REC Opinion
17 Feb 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion