Evaluation of PET Probe [64]Cu-Macrin in Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer and Sarcoidosis.

Macrophages are phagocytic cells of the innate immune system. Their accumulation is a hallmark of many inflammatory diseases and they have diverse roles in tissue responses to infection and injury and in tissue repair. As macrophages have a tissue specific and often disease stage specific roles, future therapies directed at macrophage subtypes at certain points in the course of a disease may be more efficacious and result in less systemic side effects, as compared to conventional chemotherapeutics. [64Cu] Macrin is designed to detect macrophages by PET imaging. As a result, PET imaging can be used to identify inflammatory “hotspots” and quantitate local macrophage density non-invasively. The investigators studies in mice showed that [64Cu] Macrin has excellent pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profile with high target uptake and low retention in background tissues and organs.

The investigators wish to first evaluate in healthy human subjects the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profile, and the overall safety of the new radiopharmaceutical [64Cu] Macrin. The investigators will then establish the concentration of [64Cu] Macrin in patients following myocardial infarct, in sarcoidosis and in cancer patients. In a subset of patients where tissue sampling is feasible, we will correlate tracer uptake on imaging to macrophage density on histopathology or with additional standard of care imaging studies.