(Press-News.org) Reston, VA (May 9, 2025)—New research has been published ahead-of-print by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM). JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Summaries of the newly published research articles are provided below.
New Brain Imaging Tool Targets Key Enzyme in Mental Health
Scientists have developed a promising new PET imaging compound, 11C-ZTP-1, to visualize PDE4B—an enzyme linked to inflammation and neuropsychiatric disorders. Tested in rats and monkeys, this short-lived radioligand could help accelerate brain research and drug development by enabling multiple same-day scans.
Rethinking “False Positives” in Breast Cancer Imaging
New research shows that PET scans using 89Zr-labeled antibodies can detect not only HER2-positive but also HER2-low breast cancer lesions—previously misclassified as false positives. This discovery highlights HER2 PET’s broader diagnostic potential and supports its role in identifying patients who may benefit from emerging HER2-targeted therapies.
New Brain Scan Tracer Maps Key Receptors in Living Humans
A groundbreaking PET tracer, 18F-K-40, now enables researchers to image AMPA receptors—critical for brain function—in living humans. Matching the performance of an earlier tracer but with a longer lifespan, 18F-K-40 opens the door to studying neurological and psychiatric conditions in greater detail and with broader accessibility.
Whole-Body Imaging Sheds Light on Opioid Receptor Differences Between Men and Women
Using advanced whole-body PET imaging and the tracer 11C-carfentanil, researchers visualized how μ-opioid receptors are distributed and blocked by naloxone in healthy men and women. The study revealed notable sex differences in brain regions tied to pain and addiction—offering new insights into opioid biology and treatment responses.
Molecular Imaging in Human Phenomics and Precision Health
Molecular imaging, aligned with the core principles of human phenomics, is emerging as a powerful tool for quantifying biological complexity and guiding individualized care. By integrating with multiomics data and AI, it supports a shift toward predictive, preclinical diagnostics and precision health strategies rooted in quantitative, systems-level understanding.
Targeting GRPR: A New Frontier in Personalized Cancer Imaging and Therapy
The gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is emerging as a powerful target for diagnosing and treating multiple cancers. This overview explores how GRPR-based molecular imaging and therapies are advancing from lab research to clinical use, offering new hope for personalized, precision cancer care across a range of tumor types.
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Please visit the SNMMI Media Center for more information about molecular imaging and precision imaging. To schedule an interview with the researchers, please contact Rebecca Maxey at (703) 652-6772 or rmaxey@snmmi.org.
About JNM and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) is the world’s leading nuclear medicine, molecular imaging and theranostics journal, accessed 15 million times each year by practitioners around the globe, providing them with the information they need to advance this rapidly expanding field. Current and past issues of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.
JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org.
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Carbyne, a one-dimensional chain of carbon atoms, is incredibly strong for being so thin, making it an intriguing possibility for use in next-generation electronics, but its extreme instability causing it to bend and snap on itself made it nearly impossible to produce at all, let alone produce enough of it for advanced studies. Now, an international team of researchers, including from Penn State, may have a solution.
The research team has enclosed carbyne in single-walled carbon nanotubes — tiny, tube-shaped ...
A new study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science examines how expressions of moral outrage on social media are linked to online activism, specifically petition signing behavior.
A research team led by Dr. Stefan Leach from Lancaster University analyzed over 1.2 million posts on X (formerly Twitter) containing links to nearly 25,000 petitions on Change.org. The findings reveal a surprising disconnect: while expressions of moral outrage significantly increase a post's virality (likes and reposts), they ...
The deconstruction of cellulose is essential for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. But cellulose, the most abundant renewable polymer on the planet, is extremely recalcitrant to biological depolymerization. Although composed entirely of glucose units, its crystalline microfibrillar structure and association with lignin and hemicelluloses in plant cell walls make it highly resistant to degradation. As a result, its degradation in nature is slow and requires complex enzymatic systems. The deconstruction ...
Background: Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), predominantly expressed by type II alveolar cells, is linked to the prognosis and severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD). This investigation sought to explore the relationship between KL-6 concentrations and the presence of ILD versus interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA).
Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 147 patients who were suspected of ILD and underwent KL-6 testing between October 2022 and March 2023. Epidemiological and clinical details of the patients, including the outcomes of pulmonary function tests and computed tomography findings, were retrospectively extracted from electronic medical records.
Results: The ...
New research from a team of cognitive scientists and evolutionary biologists finds that chimpanzees drum rhythmically, using regular spacing between drum hits. Their results, publishing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 9, show that eastern and western chimpanzees—two distinct subspecies—drum with distinguishable rhythms. The researchers say these findings suggest that the building blocks of human musicality arose in a common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans.
“Based on our previous work, we expected that western chimpanzees would use more hits and drum more ...
Wasp mothers have stunning brainpower when it comes to feeding their young, new research shows.
Digger wasps make a short burrow for each egg, stocking it with food and returning a few days later to provide more.
The study reveals that mother wasps can remember the locations of up to nine separate nests at once, rarely making mistakes despite the fact nests are dug in bare sand containing hundreds belonging to other females.
Mothers feed their young in age order, adjusting the order if one dies, and they can even delay feeding offspring that had ...
More Americans use illicit opioids such as fentanyl than previously estimated, highlighting the need for better methods to understand the depths of the opioid crisis, according to a new study.
A survey of American adults found that 11% reported illicit opioid use within the past 12 months and 7.5% reported use of illicitly produced fentanyl during the same period, rates that are more than 20 times higher than estimates from a large federal study that annually asks Americans about their use of illicit drugs.
Researchers say the findings add to the evidence that government counts may significantly underestimate illicit drug use and suggest ...
About The Study: In this national survey of 1,515 adults conducted in June 2024, 166 respondents (11.0%) reported illicit opioid use and 114 (7.5%) reported illicitly manufactured fentanyl use within the past 12 months. These rates are much higher than previously reported estimates. The findings highlight the need for more timely and accurate data to inform policy and intervention strategies. Enhanced data collection efforts are essential for understanding and mitigating the opioid crisis.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David Powell, PhD, email dpowell@rand.org.
To ...
About The Study: Vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein subunit vaccine in this case-control study was similar to the VE in clinical trials. The VE for immunocompromised patients was mildly (overall) to moderately (for stem cell transplant recipients) diminished. Risk of immune thrombocytopenic purpura after vaccination was not elevated, but the risk of Guilain-Barré syndrome was statistically significantly elevated in patients who received the RSVPreF vaccine but not in those who received RSVPreF+AS01 vaccine, although the risk was small. These observations should inform clinicians’ choices ...
More than a decade ago, researchers launched the BabySeq Project, a pilot program to return newborn genomic sequencing results to parents and measure the effects on newborn care. Today, over 30 international initiatives are exploring the expansion of newborn screening using genomic sequencing (NBSeq), but a new study by researchers from Mass General Brigham highlights the substantial variability in gene selection among those programs. In a paper published in Genetics in Medicine, an official journal ...
