Dissertation defence (Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine): MBiomedSc Putri Andriana
Time
7.7.2025 at 12.15 - 16.15
MBiomedSc Putri Andriana defends the dissertation in Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine titled “TARGETING MACROPHAGE MANNOSE RECEPTOR CD206 FOR DETECTION OF INFLAMMATION BY POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY” at the University of Turku on 7 July 2025 at 12.15 (TYKS T-hospital, Risto Lahesmaa Auditorium, Hämeentie 11, Turku).
The audience can participate in the defence by remote access: https://utu.zoom.us/j/62804377025 (meeting ID 628 0437 7025).
Opponent: Professor Adriana Tavares (Institute of Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research (INCR) Edinburgh Imaging University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Custos: Professor Anne Roivainen (University of Turku and Turku PET Centre)
Doctoral Dissertation at UTUPub: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0254-5
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Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:
Chronic diseases driven by unresolved inflammation—such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory illnesses—are the leading causes of death worldwide, including in Finland. Accurately detecting inflammation is key to understanding, diagnosing, and treating these conditions. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a powerful method that allows non-invasive visualization of inflammation at the molecular level, helping guide treatment decisions. Currently, the most widely used PET tracer for inflammation is [¹8F]FDG, a glucose-based compound. While useful, it lacks precision—it can also light up in areas not related to inflammation, which may lead to misdiagnosis and less effective treatment.
This dissertation introduces a new, more inflammation specific targeted PET tracer: [¹8F]AlF-NOTA-D10CM. It was designed to detect a specific type of immune cell—M2 macrophages—which play a role in healing and resolving inflammation. These immune cells carry a unique “flag” called CD206, which the tracer can bind to and visualize by PET. By targeting these macrophages, the tracer provides specific information about the body’s immune response related recovery process. This can be especially valuable for monitoring how well a treatment is working, helping clinicians evaluate the effectiveness of new therapies and interventions. The tracer’s performance was tested in healthy rats, inflamed mouse skin, and rats with heart attacks (myocardial injury). The results showed that [¹8F]AlF-NOTA-D10CM could highlight inflamed areas and track immune activity linked to inflammation healing process.
The results support the potential of this new tracer to monitor the effectiveness of treatments and to better understand how the body heals after inflammation. This could ultimately improve the management of chronic diseases by offering clinicians a more precise imaging tool to track recovery and tailor therapies accordingly.
The audience can participate in the defence by remote access: https://utu.zoom.us/j/62804377025 (meeting ID 628 0437 7025).
Opponent: Professor Adriana Tavares (Institute of Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research (INCR) Edinburgh Imaging University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Custos: Professor Anne Roivainen (University of Turku and Turku PET Centre)
Doctoral Dissertation at UTUPub: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0254-5
***
Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:
Chronic diseases driven by unresolved inflammation—such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory illnesses—are the leading causes of death worldwide, including in Finland. Accurately detecting inflammation is key to understanding, diagnosing, and treating these conditions. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a powerful method that allows non-invasive visualization of inflammation at the molecular level, helping guide treatment decisions. Currently, the most widely used PET tracer for inflammation is [¹8F]FDG, a glucose-based compound. While useful, it lacks precision—it can also light up in areas not related to inflammation, which may lead to misdiagnosis and less effective treatment.
This dissertation introduces a new, more inflammation specific targeted PET tracer: [¹8F]AlF-NOTA-D10CM. It was designed to detect a specific type of immune cell—M2 macrophages—which play a role in healing and resolving inflammation. These immune cells carry a unique “flag” called CD206, which the tracer can bind to and visualize by PET. By targeting these macrophages, the tracer provides specific information about the body’s immune response related recovery process. This can be especially valuable for monitoring how well a treatment is working, helping clinicians evaluate the effectiveness of new therapies and interventions. The tracer’s performance was tested in healthy rats, inflamed mouse skin, and rats with heart attacks (myocardial injury). The results showed that [¹8F]AlF-NOTA-D10CM could highlight inflamed areas and track immune activity linked to inflammation healing process.
The results support the potential of this new tracer to monitor the effectiveness of treatments and to better understand how the body heals after inflammation. This could ultimately improve the management of chronic diseases by offering clinicians a more precise imaging tool to track recovery and tailor therapies accordingly.
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