CXCR4-targeted PET/CT in early systemic sclerosis–associated interstitial lung disease: a prospective proof-of-concept study of in vivo inflammatory activity
Michael Gernert, Marc Schmalzing, Hannah Labinsky, Yingjun Zhi, Patrick-Pascal Strunz, Matthias Fröhlich, Philipp E Hartrampf, Andreas K Buck, Rudolf A Werner, Sebastian E Serfling · 2026
Read CXCR4-targeted PET/CT in early systemic sclerosis–associated interstitial lung disease: a prospective proof-of-concept study of in vivo inflammatory activity by Michael Gernert, Marc Schmalzing, Hannah Labinsky, Yingjun Zhi, Patrick-Pascal Strunz, Matthias Fröhlich, Philipp E Hartrampf, Andreas K Buck, Rudolf A Werner, Sebastian E Serfling (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13526056.txt.
Description
Michael Gernert and colleagues run a 2026 prospective proof-of-concept study using a receptor-targeted PET tracer to image inflammatory activity in early systemic sclerosis with lung involvement. Scleroderma can scar the lungs, and standard imaging struggles to separate active inflammation from fixed fibrosis. The tracer binds CXCR4, a receptor found on white blood cells.
Twelve patients within five years of diagnosis and with existing lung disease were scanned, with a comparison group of patients with giant cell arteritis. Uptake was highest in chest lymph nodes, fibrotic lung areas, and the heart's left ventricle, and all three sites exceeded control values significantly. Patients whose lung disease later progressed showed higher heart uptake and a numerical rise in lung uptake. The authors claim early evidence that the scan visualizes active processes.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Michael Gernert, Marc Schmalzing, Hannah Labinsky, Yingjun Zhi, Patrick-Pascal Strunz, Matthias Fröhlich, Philipp E Hartrampf, Andreas K Buck, Rudolf A Werner, Sebastian E Serfling |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 31300 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |