New Strategies for Studying Neuroinflammation in the Living Human Brain using Positron Emission Tomography

This project seeks to advance the use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for studying neuroinflammation (NI). PET enables quantification of molecular targets of NI both during disease states and following treatment.

However, the development of PET radiotracers for these targets has been challenging, resulting in issues which have frustrated quantification, analysis and interpretation.

This project seeks to develop computational methods and tools which enable accurate quantification and facilitate data sharing to draw new insights and accelerate innovation.

The research consists of three work packages focusing on separating the signal of interest from sources of contamination, applying these methods in clinical studies, and developing new software to promote sharing and harmonised analysis of clinical research data between centres.

This organisation includes methodological innovation, clinical application and practical implementation to ensure wide reach and broad adoption over four years. I will lead the project and supervise one to two PhD students.

By addressing these methodological and technological gaps, the project aims to reveal novel clinical insights, resolve controversies which have long overshadowed interpretation of previous clinical studies, and empower the field to iterate more quickly for the identification of new targets.

In the longer term, this will facilitate a more nuanced understanding of NI and support the identification of new therapeutic targets.