# Development of Emergent PET Tracers in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2023 · $190,134

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 This is a K23 career development award application for Dr. David Soleimani-Meigooni, a behavioral
neurologist and Clinical Instructor who is establishing himself as a junior investigator at the University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center (MAC). His long-term goal is to become a
clinician-scientist who will lead an independent research program to advance the pre-clinical
development/translation of novel PET tracers for diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases
associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) pathology. Through the K23 and the optimal training
environment and resources of the MAC, Dr. Soleimani-Meigooni aims to achieve these training goals: 1. To
become proficient in pharmacokinetic radiotracer modeling and optimization of PET image acquisition. 2. To
become proficient in quantitative PET analyses. 3. To learn quantitative neuropathology techniques. 4. To gain
advanced skills in study design and biostatistics. 5. To gain skills in clinical research operations, research
ethics, and grantsmanship. 6. To implement his K23 training and findings into an R01 that will allow him to
become an independent investigator involved in pre-clinical development/translation of novel PET tracers for
FTLD. To achieve these training goals, Dr. Soleimani-Meigooni has assembled a world-class mentorship team
including primary mentor, Dr. Gil Rabinovici, a behavioral neurologist and leader in PET neuroimaging of
neurodegenerative diseases; co-mentor, Dr. William Jagust, a behavioral neurologist and expert in technical
aspects of PET imaging, including radiotracer development and pharmacokinetic modeling; co-mentor, Dr. Lea
Grinberg, a neuropathologist, co-leader of the UCSF Neurodegenerative Disease Brain Bank, and expert on
FTLD and quantitative neuropathological measures; collaborator, Dr. Suzanne Baker, a scientist with technical
expertise in PET imaging; and, collaborator, Dr. Isabel Elaine Allen, an expert biostatistician.
 This project will evaluate/validate new PET tracers to aid in diagnosis and monitoring of FTLD. Candidate
PET tracers include a novel ligand that binds to non-Alzheimer tau proteins, [18F]PI-2620, and another ligand
that binds to synapses, [18F]SynVesT-1. Further evaluation is needed to determine if [18F]PI-2620 can
distinguish FTLD with tau pathology (FTLD-tau) from FTLD with TDP-43 pathology (FTLD-TDP), and if
[18F]SynVesT-1 is a sensitive marker of synapse loss and disease state in FTLD. In this project, both tracers
will be evaluated/validated by comparing patterns of tracer retention in patients with FTLD-tau to FTLD-TDP
and other neurodegenerative diseases (Aim 1); correlating regional tracer retention to clinical measures and
structural brain MRI changes (loss of cortical thickness or subcortical volume) (Aim 2); and performing
quantitative PET-to-pathology correlations (Aim 3). This project provides critical data that could support the
translation of...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10676768
- **Project number:** 5K23AG076960-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** David Nima Soleimani-Meigooni
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $190,134
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-05 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10676768

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10676768, Development of Emergent PET Tracers in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (5K23AG076960-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10676768. Licensed CC0.

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