Researchers have reported the first successful visualisation of pathological alpha-synuclein aggregates in the living human brain using a novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, a development that could transform the diagnosis and monitoring of Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.
The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, describes the development and validation of [11C]MODAG-005, a PET tracer created by German biotechnology company MODAG in collaboration with University Hospital Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences. The tracer selectively binds to pathological alpha-synuclein aggregates, allowing them to be detected using PET imaging.
Alpha-synuclein aggregation is a defining pathological feature of Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy (MSA) and dementia with Lewy bodies. Until now, clinicians have lacked a reliable method for directly visualising these protein deposits in living patients, limiting opportunities for early diagnosis and disease-specific treatment.
The researchers validated the tracer through laboratory studies, animal models and first-in-human imaging in three patients. According to the study, [11C]MODAG-005 demonstrated high affinity and specificity for pathological alpha-synuclein aggregates while producing high-quality PET images. Early findings also suggest that distinct neurodegenerative disorders may exhibit characteristic patterns of tracer uptake, potentially enabling biology-based differential diagnosis.
The imaging agent complements MODAG’s existing PD DETECT® cerebrospinal fluid assay, which identifies pathological alpha-synuclein biochemically. Combining molecular testing with PET imaging could provide both confirmation of disease pathology and information on its anatomical distribution and progression.
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Beyond diagnosis, the tracer may prove valuable in therapeutic development. By enabling researchers to determine whether investigational drugs engage their intended target within the brain, it could provide an objective biomarker for evaluating disease-modifying therapies in clinical trials. MODAG highlighted its ongoing Phase 2 evaluation of emrusolmin for MSA, being conducted with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, as one programme that could benefit from the technology.
The company is also developing a fluorine-18 labelled successor, [18F]MODAG-009, which is intended to improve tracer availability beyond specialist imaging centres and support wider clinical adoption.
This news item has been summarised using AI and checked by humans before publication.
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Sources
MODAG press release
Original publication: [11C]MODAG-005 – a PET tracer targeting alpha-synuclein aggregates in the brain. Science Translational Medicine, 2026. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aec0813
