# Comparison of Two Next Generation TAU Radiopharmaceuticals in Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH R21** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $191,890

## Abstract

Project Summary
This study will be the first of its kind globally, comparing [18F]RO-948, a radiopharmaceutical developed from
an extensive series of well-characterized tau radioligands by Wong/Kuwabara MPIs with an increasingly used
next-generation radiopharmaceutical, [18F]MK-6240. The primary aim of which would be to identify a more
optimal radioligand for tau imaging of tauopathy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through direct comparisons of
these two potential candidates, and demonstration of their lack of off target binding which is suffered by
commonly used [18F]AV1451. These next generation radiopharmaceuticals ([18F]MK-6240 and [18F]RO-948)
both have a different chemical structure and somewhat different pharmacologic profile; therefore, we anticipate
definitive differences in distribution volume ratios, standardized uptake ratios at optimal delayed imaging times
and off-target binding. Ten subjects with Alzheimer’s disease, diagnosed by Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Center (ADRC) and/or DSM criteria will be studied with both radiopharmaceuticals. We hypothesize these
tracers to show similarly good results in the kinetic evaluations, specifically that [18F]RO-948 shows lower
binding than [18F]MK-6240 in the cerebellum and white matter regions and is associated with better
discrimination of AD subjects from healthy controls. Additionally we will examine these next-generation tracers
in terms of off-target binding potential within the basal ganglia, thalamus, and choroid plexus; hypothesizing
lower binding than that of the currently regarded [18F]AV1451. If supported, these hypotheses will provide a
rationale for selecting [18F]RO-948 or [18F]MK-6240 compared to [18F]AV1451 for studying tau accumulation in
AD. It is critical to demonstrate which radioligand is better for discrimination of AD from OC in the proposed
same-subject design, as well as, examine potential for off-target binding. This innovative comparison of the
three radioligands in head-to-head interrogation will yield critical information for selection of radioligands for
research in the field of neuroimaging of tau.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10190454
- **Project number:** 7R21AG062314-03
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** HIROTO KUWABARA
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $191,890
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2019-02-15 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10190454

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10190454, Comparison of Two Next Generation TAU Radiopharmaceuticals in Alzheimer's Disease (7R21AG062314-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10190454. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*