PhD Candidate Jenni Virta will defend her thesis on August 9th 2024
MSc Jenni Virta will defend her dissertation titeled
"POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING OF DISEASE ACTIVITY IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS"
at at the University of Turku on 09 August 2024 at 12.00 pm - 16.00 pm (TYKS T Hospital, Risto Lahesmaa auditorium, Hämeentie 11, 20520 Turku).
Opponent : Professor Sohvi Hörkkö (University of Oulu)
Custos : Professor Antti Saraste (University of Turku)
Examination format : On site, Finnish.
The field of the dissertation is clinical physiology and nuclear medicine and conducted at Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Finland.
The electronic book of her dissertation can be accessed via university's repository https://www.utupub.fi/handle/10024/178833
Summary of the dissertation:
Atherosclerosis is a progressive inflammatory disease in which fat and inflammatory cells, such as eating cells, accumulate on the walls of blood vessels. Atherosclerotic artery diseases, such as coronary artery disease, are the leading cause of death worldwide. Type 2 diabetes is an important risk factor for atherosclerosis, affecting an estimated more than 370 million people worldwide and increasing alarmingly among younger people. The eating cells of the artery wall play an important role in regulating the disease activity of atherosclerosis and can either prevent or promote the progression of the disease.
Positron emission tomography, or PET, is an imaging method that can be used to describe biological functions in living objects. PET imaging can be used in disease research, diagnostics and treatment monitoring. For the imaging of atherosclerosis, new specific markers are needed that target inflammation, more precisely, activated eating cells, which would make it possible to assess the disease activity of atherosclerosis.
The dissertation investigated the suitability of three new PET tracers 68Ga-NODAGA-exendin-4, (2S, 4R)-4-[18F]fluoroglutamine (18F-FGln) and 18F-AlF-NOTA-folate (18F-FOL) for imaging atherosclerosis disease activity. In addition, the effects of linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor used as an antidiabetic drug, on atherosclerosis activity were investigated using PET imaging with the most commonly used 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) marker. The studies were conducted using experimental models of atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes.
The results showed that 68Ga-NODAGA-exendin-4, 18F-FGln and 18F-FOL enable PET imaging of atherosclerotic plaque-eating cells. Treatment with linagliptin did not have the desired effect on atherosclerosis activity or fatty liver, although it improved sugar tolerance and reduced liver inflammation. The study provides new information on the possibilities of PET imaging of atherosclerosis disease activity.