Imaging biomarker and theranostics technology developer Precision Molecular (PMI) said it has received an investment from the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) to support the development of imaging agents for brain inflammation.
The ADDF invested in the company to support new ways of imaging neuroinflammation in hopes of discovering early imaging biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, according to the company. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
PMI is currently developing PMI04, a radiotracer that binds to the macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R). This receptor is found in the brain almost exclusively on microglia and infiltrating macrophages -- the cell types directly involved in inflammation, PMI said.
The radiotracer can provide greater cell specificity than radioligands that attempt to measure activated microglia -- a hallmark of neuroinflammation -- via targeting the translocator protein for PET imaging, according to Dr. Martin Pomper, PhD, founder and CEO of PMI. He is also the Henry N. Wagner Jr. professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science.
What's more, PMI04 offers the potential for earlier and more definitive detection of neuroinflammation, he said. The company noted that its radiotracer can also be used to identify and track neuroinflammation in patients with Parkinson's disease. PMI received a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation in December 2019 to study PMI04 for imaging microglia-selective inflammation in these patients.
