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Article summary:
1. An estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide have chronic liver disease, most commonly due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or viral hepatitis.
2. Current techniques to identify in situ chronic inflammation are lacking, and biopsies suffer from an inevitable sampling bias and poor inter-reader agreement.
3. This article explores the use of an anti-VCAM-1 nanobody labeled with technetium-99m for molecular imaging of liver inflammation in various preclinical models of NAFLD, and demonstrates its potential as a non-invasive mean to detect liver inflammation ahead of fibrosis development.
Article analysis:
The article Molecular Imaging of Liver Inflammation Using an Anti-VCAM-1 Nanobody | Nature Communications provides a detailed overview of the potential use of an anti-VCAM-1 nanobody labeled with technetium-99m for molecular imaging of liver inflammation in various preclinical models of NAFLD. The authors provide evidence that this imaging agent is well tolerated, stable in vivo, and exclusively eliminated through the kidneys—further supporting its use for liver imaging. The authors also present data from proof-of-concept studies demonstrating that cAbVCAM1-5 SPECT-CT imaging is suitable to detect liver inflammation in MCD diet fed mice, and that resolution of parenchymal inflammation results in reduced 99mTc-cAbVCAM1-5 liver uptake.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy; however, there are some points which could be improved upon. For example, the authors do not discuss any potential risks associated with using this imaging agent or any possible side effects it may have on patients. Additionally, while the authors provide evidence from preclinical studies demonstrating the efficacy of this imaging agent for detecting liver inflammation, they do not discuss any clinical trials which have been conducted or are currently underway to further evaluate its safety and efficacy in humans. Furthermore, while the authors provide evidence from four clinically relevant models of NAFLD to demonstrate their findings, they do not explore any other potential applications or implications for this imaging agent beyond NAFLD diagnosis. Finally, while the authors provide evidence from proof-of concept studies demonstrating that cAbVCAM1-5 SPECT CT imaging is suitable to detect liver inflammation in MCD diet fed mice, they do not explore any other dietary interventions which may affect its efficacy or accuracy when used for diagnosing