New Haven-based neuroimaging company XingImaging and a Chinese biotech firm have received a $3.84 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to advance research on a brain imaging tool that could help diagnose Parkinson’s disease earlier.
New Haven-based neuroimaging company XingImaging and a Chinese biotech firm have received a $3.84 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to advance research on a brain imaging tool that could help diagnose Parkinson’s disease earlier.
XingImaging,
based at 55 Church St. in New Haven, is partnering with SynuSight Biotech of Shanghai, China, on studies of 18F-FD4, an experimental compound designed as a PET tracer — a chemical that makes disease activity visible in brain scans. The tracer targets clumps of a protein called alpha-synuclein, which are strongly linked to Parkinson’s and related disorders.
Parkinson’s disease affects more than 10 million people worldwide and is marked by tremors, stiffness, movement problems, and non-motor symptoms such as sleep disturbances and memory decline. Current diagnosis relies mainly on symptoms, often after irreversible brain damage has occurred.
Existing imaging tools can reveal dopamine system damage but can’t directly detect alpha-synuclein.
SynuSight developed 18F-FD4 to selectively bind to toxic protein deposits. Early tests show promise for detecting disease at earlier stages, potentially enabling better treatment and tracking of progression.
“This represents a pivotal opportunity to advance one of the most promising alpha-synuclein PET tracers in humans,” said Roger Gunn, chief scientific officer of XingImaging.
