Clinical Research Directory

DLL3-Targeted PET/CT in Neuroendocrine Carcinoma

The objective of the study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of DLL3-targeted PET/CT in patients with suspected or histologically confirmed neuroendocrine carcinoma, and to compare with conventional imaging modalities.

PD-L1 Targeting Peptide Probe for PET Imaging of Solid Tumor

The objective of this study is to construct a noninvasive approach using radiolabbled peptide 68Ga-cPP-BCH PET/CT to detect the PD-L1 expression of tumor lesion in patients with lung cancer, melanoma and other solid tumor to identify patients benefiting from anti-PD-(L)1 treatment.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Efficacy of a αvβ6/FAP-Targeting Heterodimeric Probe in Patients With Malignant Solid Tumors

Malignant tumors pose a grave threat to human health and impose a substantial burden on society. Molecular imaging, which enables non-invasive, in vivo visualization of biological processes at the molecular level, is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment monitoring, thereby improving clinical management. Currently, molecular probes targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and integrin αvβ6, such as ⁶⁸Ga-labeled FAPI and ⁶⁸Ga-Trivehexin, have shown promise in oncologic PET imaging, yet each has limitations. FAP is predominantly overexpressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumor stroma, with minimal expression in normal tissues. However, radiotracers like ⁶⁸Ga-FAPI often exhibit physiological uptake in normal organs (e.g., salivary glands, pancreas, uterus), leading to elevated background signals and potentially reduced diagnostic contrast. Conversely, integrin αvβ6 is primarily expressed on tumor cell surfaces and is upregulated in many malignancies. Nonetheless, probes like ⁶⁸Ga-Trivehexin suffer from high renal retention with slow clearance and notable physiological gastrointestinal uptake, resulting in suboptimal target-to-background ratios and compromised image quality. Given the complementary expression profiles of FAP (stroma) and integrin αvβ6 (tumor cells), we hypothesize that a bispecific molecular probe capable of simultaneously engaging both targets could achieve superior tumor targeting through a synergistic "dual-lock" mechanism. This prospective exploratory clinical trial aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and safety of a novel bispecific probe, named ⁶⁸Ga-B6FA-01, in patients with malignant solid tumors. The ultimate goal is to develop a superior imaging strategy for early and precise tumor diagnosis, treatment response assessment, and personalized therapeutic decision-making.

Precise Guidance of Adaptive Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinomar

This is an observational cohort study designed to (1) evaluate whether Gallium-68 (68Ga)-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor ligand LM3 (68Ga-FAPI-LM3) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) improves the accuracy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) staging, and (2) determine whether Gallium-68-labeled programmed death-ligand 1 (68Ga-PD-L1) PET/CT imaging parameters can provide early prediction of response to neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The study will assess the sensitivity and specificity of each tracer for staging and for predicting therapeutic response, analyze changes in tumor uptake parameters on 68Ga-FAPI-LM3 and 68Ga-PD-L1 PET/CT before and after treatment, and compare treatment efficacy and survival outcomes between patients with different degrees of residual PET uptake and between those who did and did not receive neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The primary question it aims to answer is: Does 68Ga-FAPI-LM3 PET/CT improve the accuracy of NPC staging, and can 68Ga-PD-L1 PET/CT imaging parameters provide an early prediction of response to neoadjuvant immunotherapy? Participants will be patients with biopsy-proven nasopharyngeal carcinoma who undergo 68Ga-FAPI-LM3 and/or 68Ga-PD-L1 PET/CT as part of clinical care or a research protocol. Tumor uptake metrics (e.g., maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic/volumetric indices) will be measured pre- and post-treatment; diagnostic performance (sensitivity, specificity) and associations between uptake changes and clinical outcomes (response rates, progression-free and overall survival) will be calculated.

Study of Melanoma-Resistant PET Monitoring Based on Key Rate-limiting Enzymes for Fatty Acid Metabolism in Healthy Volunteers

This is a small-sample safety study involving 15 healthy volunteers who were divided into groups and underwent 68Ga-ACC-DE, 68Ga-FASN-DE, and 68Ga-ACLY-DE PET/CT imaging for safety, biodistribution, and radiation dosimetry assessments, laying the foundation for subsequent studies on the efficacy of resistance monitoring in melanoma targeted therapy.

Breast Cancer PET/CT Imaging With 68Ga-pAKTi

Abnormal activation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway in breast cancer patients is closely associated with tumor progression. Phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) serves as a key indicator of pathway activation. In this study, we utilize a novel probe, 68Ga-pAKTi, which enables precise targeting of tumor p-AKT expression levels to monitor PI3K-AKT pathway activation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 68Ga-pAKTi PET/CT in detecting p-AKT expression in breast cancer and to compare its performance with that of 18F-FDG PET/CT. A total of 20 patients with breast cancer will be enrolled. Screening will be conducted within 14 days prior to administration of 68Ga-pAKTi (from Day -14 to Day -1). Subjects who meet all inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria will receive an intravenous injection of 68Ga-pAKTi on Day 0, followed by PET/CT imaging. Biopsy/pathological results and conventional imaging findings will be followed up to validate the diagnostic efficacy of 68Ga-pAKTi PET/CT in accurately detecting p-AKT expression in breast cancer.

68Ga-FAPI-46 in Staging of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

This clinical study investigates the use of a new imaging technique called 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT in people with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a type of cancer known for its rapid progression, late diagnosis, and poor survival rate. One of the main challenges with pancreatic cancer is that standard images like MRI and CT, while helpful, are not always able to clearly show how far the cancer has spread or where exactly the tumor ends. This can make surgery and treatment planning more difficult and less precise. The new image technique being studied, 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT, works by injecting a small and safe amount of a radioactive substance into a vein. This substance travels through the body and attaches to a specific protein called FAP, which is found in large amounts in the tissue that surrounds many pancreatic tumors. By sticking to this protein, the tracer highlights not only the tumor but also the surrounding area that may be affected by the cancer. This results in very detailed images that may show the tumor more clearly than other techniques. Each participant in the study will receive a single injection of the tracer, and about an hour later they will have the PET/CT scan. The scan itself is quick, painless, and non-invasive, and takes about 20 minutes. A few days later, participants will receive a follow-up phone call to check if they experienced any side effects, though previous studies with over 1,000 people have shown the tracer to be very safe. The purpose of the study is to find out whether this new technique provides more useful and accurate information than the standard images currently used. It may help better detect the size of the tumor, see if it has spread to other parts of the body, and give doctors a clearer idea of how to plan surgery. This could make it easier to remove the tumor completely and choose the most effective treatment for each patient. This pilot study is being conducted at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) with 20 adult participants over two years. CHUV is the first hospital in Switzerland to offer this kind of scan. If the study is successful, this scan may become a regular part of care for people with pancreatic cancer and could also be used in other cancers in the future.

To Evaluate Transport Safety Between Different Scanning Methods for Patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

The goal of this study is to assess how safe it is for critically ill patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to undergo a PET scan. A PET scan is a type of medical imaging used to help determine why a patient is sick. It is similar to a CT scan but involves a small amount of radioactivity to highlight areas of concern in the body. For a PET scan, patients need to be transported from the ICU to the scanning room, which can be risky because ICU patients are often very fragile. After a patient gets the PET scan injection, their body gives off a small amount of radiation for a short time. Because of this, doctors and nurses have to keep some distance to protect themselves. This means they keep an eye out for the patient from a bit further away than normal. This makes the procedure slightly riskier, especially for very sick patients. This study aims to answer the question: Is getting a PET scan riskier for ICU patients than a regular CT scan? All patients in this study will continue to receive their usual critical care. Researchers will closely monitor the scanning process to evaluate its safety. PET scans are already widely used to detect cancer, but new advancements may allow us to use them more often to diagnose infections. Before this can become routine practice, we need to ensure that PET scanning is just as safe as other commonly used imaging techniques. This study will assess all ICU patients undergoing a PET scan-regardless of the reason for the scan-to determine how safe the procedure is in critically ill individuals.

18F-FDG PET/TC in TIR3A e TIR3B

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT performed by normal care pathway in the identification of malignancy of undetermined resulting thyroid lesions at cytology (TIR3A and TIR3B) comparing the 18F-FDG PET/CT result with histological data. The secondary objective is to identify possible PET/ultrasound/genetic/radiomics variables that can more accurately define the potential malignancy of undetermined nodules and create a predictive model of malignity fed by standard parameters (derived from the normal care path). The identification of the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in such patients setting could, in fact, make the PET useful in the future in the selection of patients for surgery/ follow-up.

The Application Value of 68Ga-grazytracer PET in Immunotherapy for Stage III Non-small-cell Lung Cancer

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy can significantly improve the pathological complete response (pCR) and major pathological response (MPR) rates in resectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and extend the event-free survival (EFS). However, the current means for evaluating its efficacy are limited. This study aims to utilize the convenient and non-invasive 68Ga-grazytracer PET imaging to detect the aggregation of CD8+ T cells in target lesions after neoadjuvant immunotherapy for stage III NSCLC, and to assess its value in efficacy monitoring, providing valuable information for clinical treatment decisions.

68Ga-grazytracer PET Assists in Diagnosing Pseudoprogression Following Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer.

Currently, there are limited methods available in clinical practice to distinguish pseudoprogression after immunotherapy. Most patients rely on follow-up observations to monitor the disease, which does not meet clinical needs. 68Ga-grazytracer is a novel imaging agent targeting granzyme B. By detecting the concentration of granzyme B, it reflects the localization of cytotoxic T cells in the tumor region and their potential ability to kill tumor cells. This study aims to leverage the simplicity, non-invasiveness, visualization, and semi-quantitative advantages of 68Ga-grazytracer PET imaging to evaluate its effectiveness and feasibility in diagnosing pseudoprogression.