New PET scan technique aims to sniff out hidden infections
NCT ID NCT05611905
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early study tested whether a special PET scan using a radioactive form of vitamin B9 (11C-PABA) can help doctors see infections deep inside the body. Researchers scanned 13 healthy people and patients with known or suspected infections. The goal was to see if this method can tell the difference between an infection and other problems like inflammation or cancer.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 11C-para-aminobenzoic acid (11C-PABA) with PET/CT imaging
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this imaging technique could help doctors quickly tell if a deep-body infection is bacterial or not, guiding better treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 study with only 13 people. It tests imaging, not treatment, so it won't directly help patients yet. The technique may not reliably distinguish infections from other conditions.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
13 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Dec 2023
- Finished
-
Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients with bacterial infections or non-infectious processes such as inflammatory / oncologic diseases will be enrolled. Males and female members of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial and encouraged to participate.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Male or female ≥18 years of age at the time of consent and imaging. 2. Healthy subjects OR those with confirmed (microbiologically, molecular or serological testing) diagnosis of infection at any body site OR clinical and imaging evidence of suspected infection in any body site with confirmation (microbiologically, molecular or serological testing) anticipated within 72 hours of imaging. OR subjects with confirmed inflammatory (rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, etc) or oncologic (e.g. localized or metastatic tumors) disease and clinically determined not to have infection. 3. For subjects with infections: Non mycobacterium tuberculosis infections: received no more than 7 days of effective antibiotic treatment, as judged by the attending and/or principal investigator. OR Mycobacterium tuberculosis or mycobacteroides infections: received no more than 4 weeks of effective treatment. Infection confirmed by positive culture or molecular testing. 4. For inpatients, determined by the attending of record to be stable to participate in the study (will be documented in the research records). 5. Subject is judged by the investigator to have the initiative and means to be compliant with the protocol. 6. Subjects or their legal representatives must have the ability to read, understand and provide written informed consent for the initiation of any study related procedures. Adults lacking capacity will not be enrolled in this study. Exclusion criteria: Within 28 or fewer days prior to imaging, a complete blood count with differential, blood comprehensive metabolic panel will be performed. Subjects will be excluded from enrollment if any of the following apply: 1. Reported pregnancy or pregnancy as determined by positive or indeterminate serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) at screening and positive urine hCG prior to radiopharmaceutical dosing. 2. Lactating females. 3. Inadequate venous access. 4. Screening clinical laboratory values must be within normal limits or judged not clinically significant by the principal investigator. 5. Administered a radioisotope within 5 physical half-lives prior to study enrollment. 6. Subject has been treated with an investigational drug / biologic / therapeutic device within 30 days prior to study radiotracer administration. 7. Determined to have prior (external) radiation exposure which will exceed RDRC annual radiation exposure limit of 5 rems. 8. For patients undergoing renal imaging they will be excluded if any of the following conditions exist: * Hypertension * Diabetes mellitus type I or II * Body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2 or higher than 30 kg/m2 * Family history of renal disease * Urinary tract infection in the prior 6 months
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Bacterial infections are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Baltimore, Maryland, 21218, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Patients and families build a living database of pulmonary fibrosis
- A new ankle? researchers track 400 people with an implant meant to restore movement
- Can a Job-Focused rehab program keep arthritis patients employed?
- Can pulmonary fibrosis patients pull hard enough for their inhalers?
- Two blood tests may separate real kidney harm from a false alarm
- Can a computer model speed up sepsis blood tests?