Key result
Novel PET radioligand [18F]TRACK shows moderate uptake and good reversibility in the human brain.
Why the study?
Tropomyosin receptor kinases mediate critical neuronal processes and are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders, motivating characterization of the novel PET radioligand [ 18 F]TRACK for in vivo TrkB/C quantification in the human brain.
Observational (n=7)
The novel PET radioligand [18F]TRACK demonstrates favorable pharmacokinetic properties and good identifiability for the in vivo quantification of TrkB/C receptors in the human brain.
Supports [18F]TRACK development for TrkB/C PET; leaves open clinical validation in patients.
Tropomyosin receptor kinases family members TrkA, TrkB and TrkC mediate critical processes, such as neuronal growth, survival, and synaptic plasticity, and have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. In this work, we characterized the pharmacokinetics of the novel positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand [ 18 F]TRACK for in vivo quantification of TrkB/C in the human brain. Seven healthy volunteers (3 men; 20–61 years) underwent a 90 min PET scan following an intravenous bolus injection of [ 18 F]TRACK. Arterial blood sampling was performed throughout image acquisition. [ 18 F]TRACK was slowly metabolized, accounting for 60% of the plasma activity at 90 min, with two more polar radiometabolites observed. Regional time-activity curves (TACs) showed moderate uptake (SUV: 1-2) and good reversibility in gray matter regions. Across regions, the two-tissue compartment model (2TCM) yielded superior fits than the 1TCM for 98% of extra-striatal gray-matter TACs, whereas it improved fits for only 52% of striatal TACs. Total distribution volume (VT) ranged from 2.49±0.30 ml/cm 3 (thalamus) to 1.94±0.21 ml/cm 3 (hippocampus) showing good identifiability (%SE: 1–5%) and low inter-subject variability (%CoV<14%). Transient equilibrium between [ 18 F]TRACK in tissue and plasma was reached at approximately 70 min. Shortening the scan duration to 60 min preserved VT accuracy and precision.
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Ramos-Jiménez et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Healthy volunteers (n=7). [18F]TRACK was evaluated on Pharmacokinetics and total distribution volume (VT). The novel PET radioligand [18F]TRACK demonstrated moderate uptake, good reversibility, and total distribution volumes ranging from 1.94 to 2.49 ml/cm3 in the human brain.
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