New PET tracer could spot rare heart disease without a biopsy
NCT ID NCT05184088
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 04, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This completed Phase 3 study tested whether a radioactive tracer called [18F]Florbetaben, used in PET scans, can accurately diagnose cardiac AL amyloidosis—a condition where abnormal proteins build up in the heart. 244 adults with suspected cardiac amyloidosis received a single PET scan. The goal was to see if the scan could identify the disease as reliably as a heart biopsy or other standard tests.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- [18F]Florbetaben (a radioactive tracer used in PET scans)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this imaging method could provide a non-invasive way to diagnose cardiac AL amyloidosis, potentially reducing the need for heart biopsies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a diagnostic study, not a treatment. The imaging may not be accurate enough to replace current diagnostic methods, and results may not apply to all types of amyloidosis.
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.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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244 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Finished
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May 2026
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Males and females age ≥18 years * Able to understand, sign and date written informed consent * Written informed consent must be obtained before any study procedures are performed * Subjects being considered for a possible diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis by * 1\. One of the following conditions: * Established systemic amyloidosis without proven cardiac involvement, * Known plasma cell dyscrasia (MGUS, multiple myeloma), * Pathological free light chain levels in urine or serum, * Presence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction * 2\. AND one of the following parameters, indicative of cardiac manifestation: * Mean (left ventricular (LV) wall + septum) thickness \>12mm as measured by echocardiography or CMR in absence of other known cause of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), * NT-proBNP \>335 ng/L (in case a value for NT-proBNP is not available, BNP \> 81ng/L may be used instead) * Planned diagnostic procedure to establish diagnosis and cardiac involvement (e.g., endomyocardial biopsy or extracardiac biopsy in conjunction with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging/echocardiography or bone scintigraphy) * Female subjects must be documented by medical records or physician's note to be either surgically sterile (by means of hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, or bilateral oophorectomy) or post-menopausal for at least 1 year (no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause). If they are of child-bearing potential, they must commit to use of a highly effective contraceptive measure for at least one week following the PET scan (including combined (estrogen and progestogen containing) hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation (oral, intravaginal or transdermal), progestogen-only hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation (oral, injectable or implantable), intrauterine device, intrauterine hormone-releasing system, bilaterial tubal occlusion, vasectomised parner or secual abstinence). * Male subjects and their partners of childbearing potential must commit to the use of a highly effective method of contraception for a minimum of 90 days following the PET scan (estrogen and progestogen containing) hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation (oral, intravaginal or transdermal), progestogen-only hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation (oral, injectable or implantable), intrauterine device, intrauterine hormone-releasing system, bilaterial tubal occlusion, male subjects with vasectomy or sexual abstinence) * Male subjects must commit to not donate sperm for a minimum of 90 days after the PET scan Exclusion Criteria: * Any known allergic reactions or hypersensitivity towards any compound of the study drug * Severe hepatic impairment (AST/ALT \>5 x ULN; bilirubin \>3 x ULN) * Inability to lay flat for up to 60 min * Pregnant, lactating or breastfeeding * Unwilling and/or unable to cooperate with study procedures * Having been administered a radiopharmaceutical within 10 radioactive half-lives prior to study drug administration in this study
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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
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Charite Berlin
Berlin, 13353, Germany
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Clínica Universidad de Navarra
Pamplona, 31008, Spain
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HOPA Hamburg
Hamburg, 22767, Germany
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Hospital University Bellvitge
Barcelona, 08907, Spain
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Hospital University Puerta de Hierro
Madrid, 28222, Spain
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Royal Free Hospital
London, NW3 2PF, United Kingdom
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St Luke's Hospital
Kansas City, Kansas, 64111, United States
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University of Augsburg
Augsburg, 86156, Germany
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University of Essen
Essen, 45147, Germany
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University of Heidelberg
Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States
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University of Salamanca
Salamanca, 37007, Spain
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University of Würzburg
Würzburg, 97080, Germany
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can AI read fused PET and MRI scans to forecast survival in a rare heart disease?
- Can a single scan reveal hidden amyloid deposits across the body?
- Heart ultrasound may spot a rare heart disease earlier
- A sharper eye on amyloid: could quantitative scans revolutionize cardiac monitoring?
- Can a new PET tracer light up amyloid in the heart?
- Liver clues: a new way to stage heart amyloidosis?