Phase 2 PREDICT-ILD imaging study commences in interstitial lung disease

Molecular imaging agent 99mTc-maraciclatide to aid in disease prognostication

Serac Healthcare, a clinical radiopharmaceutical company, and the University of Exeter have announced the commencement of a Phase II study involving a novel molecular SPECT imaging agent, 99mTc-maraciclatide.

This study, named ‘PRospective Evaluation of Interstitial Lung Disease progression with quantitative CT (PREDICT-ILD)’, has successfully scanned its first patient.

The main study aims to assess the effectiveness of quantitative computed tomography (CT) in detecting the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Additionally, a sub-study has started to evaluate 99mTc-maraciclatide as an imaging marker for disease prognostication in a subset of participants. Recruitment for PREDICT-ILD is ongoing at three NHS sites in the south-west: North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), Royal United Hospitals (RUH) NHS Foundation Trust, and Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Leading the study are co-chief investigators Professor Chris Scotton, Associate Professor in Respiratory Biomedicine, and Dr. Giles Dixon, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, both from the University of Exeter. The study is primarily funded by the Wellcome Trust GW4-CAT HP PhD Programme for Health Professionals.

The sub-study will compare the uptake of 99mTc-maraciclatide between participants with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-IPF fibrosing-ILD, alongside age, sex, and ethnicity-matched healthy controls.

Secondary goals include assessing the imaging agent’s ability to identify αvβ3 activity and predict disease progression in fibrosing ILD patients. A total of sixty-nine participants will be recruited, with 15 involved in the sub-study.

Interstitial lung diseases encompass over 200 irreversible conditions that cause lung scarring (fibrosis) without treatment.

Affecting more than 150,000 people in the UK, ILD leads to significant morbidity and mortality, accounting for 1% of deaths in the UK. Research into the mechanisms driving ILD progression remains a critical priority.