Imaging inflammation in the living brain
Friday, September 30, 2011 - 08:00
in Biology & Nature
Inflammation occurs in the human brain during illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsons disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury. Now, a research team in Japan has developed a probe that can bind to the pro-inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). The probe, 11C-ketoprofen methyl ester, enables researchers to observe when and where the enzyme is acting in the brains of living animals using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.