Researchers find new way to diagnose lung infections
Washington, US: In order to expedite treatment for critically ill patients, a study headed by Nalinikanth Kotagiri of the University of Cincinnati seeks to create a new imaging technique that can recognize specific types of lung infections in real time.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded Kotagiri, an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the UC James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, a USD 3 million, five-year R01 grant to create and research the efficacy of various injectable probes (metallic contrast agents) that would gather at the site of the infection and instantly glow under a nuclear imaging device known as a PET scan.
Currently, radiologists use chest X-rays to confirm the diagnosis of pneumonia and other infections in the lungs. An X-ray, however, cannot determine the specifics of the infection or whether the infection is bacterial, viral or fungal. A specific diagnosis can only be determined by a pathologist, after culturing a sample of lung tissue which is collected from an invasive procedure (called a bronchoscopy) and takes time, typically 2-3 days.
Critically ill patients, however, such as those with infectious pneumonia and underlying conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), might not have time to spare, says Kotagiri.
“Our solution is to use imaging to identify what is causing the pneumatic episode,” within hours, to hasten a treatment plan, he says.
An added benefit, he said, is that the contrast agent development process “doesn’t require elaborate processing or preparation time.” This is critical as development of contrast agents can be time-consuming and complicated. A simple and fast process is expected to reduce preparation time in a clinical laboratory and potentially enable adoption of the technology in a clinical setting.
