# Core C: In-vivo Imaging of Mucus Obstruction and Clearance

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $225,694

## Abstract

Core C: In-Vivo Imaging of Mucus Obstruction and Clearance
Non-invasive imaging of the lung is an integral part of clinical projects 3 and 4 for the grant proposal
“Development of Novel Mucolytic Therapies for Lung Disease”. It is widely recognized that reduced lung
function is associated with compromised clearance of mucus from the airways surface and mucus
accumulation/plugging in the airways for both cystic fiibrosis and asthma. The ability to image the slowing of
mucociliary and cough clearance by 2D gamma scintigraphy and the effects of mucus obstruction by magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) of fluorine 19 gas ventilation provides the clinical projects with powerful tools to
assess the efficacy of new mucolytics. The goals of the in-vivo imaging core are to provide 1)
measurements of mucociliary and cough clearance (MCC/CC) by gamma scintigraphy, 2) assessment
of radio-particle deposition and clearance heterogeneity, 3) quantitative measures of pulmonary
function on a regional basis, and 4) direct evaluation of lung ventilation through 19F MRI ventilation
imaging. Baseline and post mucolytic treatment MCC/CC rates will be measured in CF and asthmatic patients
by 2D gamma scintigraphy of inhaled/deposited radiolabeled (Tc99m) sulfur colloid particles on the bronchial
airway surface. In the same patients 19F MRI will provide the ability to detect lobar changes in ventilation
kinetics through a wash-in and wash-out phase of inhaled gas with high sensitivity. Demonstrating the potential
of the 19F technique may contribute to its utility for evaluating airway diseases. In combination these two
imaging modalities may provide new, sensitive regional measures of disease and heterogeneity of mucus
accumulation that may be modified by novel mucolytics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10001596
- **Project number:** 5P01HL108808-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM D BENNETT
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $225,694
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-07 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10001596

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10001596, Core C: In-vivo Imaging of Mucus Obstruction and Clearance (5P01HL108808-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10001596. Licensed CC0.

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