Study of Neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis by PET-MRI Imaging Using the Radiotracer ([18F]-DPA-714) : a Multicentre Cohort Study (INFLANET)

The Service Hospitalier Frédéric-Joliot (SHFJ) and Paris Brain Institute (ICM) groups have identified \[18F\]-DPA-714 as a promising second-generation TSPO tracer, a macromolecule overexpressed in neuroinflammatory conditions, for PET imaging. They have also developed a non-invasive quantification methodology, enabling the generation of individual neuroinflammation maps in MS patients. Recent findings from \[18F\]-DPA-714 PET imaging in MS patients revealed that most of the white matter lesions contained a smoldering component, even when considered inactive on MRI, and that their neuroinflammatory profiles were associated with longitudinal disability worsening. The Inflanet project aims to leverage a unique consortium comprising French radiochemists, radiopharmacists, nuclear medicine/neuroimaging experts, and MS neurologists to establish the first national network dedicated to \[18F\]-DPA-714 PET imaging in MS, so far limited to monocentric studies. The objectives of the INFLANET project are (1) to conduct the first multicenter study assessing neuroinflammation in patients with active MS using \[18F\]DPA-714 PET tracer, and (2) to establish a methodology suitable for the quantification of multicenter PET data obtained with \[18F\]DPA-714. The INFLANET initiative aims to disseminate TSPO PET within the French MS research community, thereby opening the unique perspective of future large-scale, multicenter studies. These endeavors are expected to enhance our capacity to predict diseases, stratify patients, and assess new therapeutic interventions.