Intranasal Administration of PET Radiotracer Delivers Insulin to Multiple Brain Regions
THURSDAY, July 31, 2025 -- Intranasal administration of [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-insulin is safe and delivers insulin to multiple brain regions, according to a study published online July 23 in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions.
Kiran K. Solingapuram Sai, Ph.D., from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues conducted a first-in-human positron emission tomography (PET) study using a novel radiotracer [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-insulin administered intranasally with a specialized device to examine the kinetics of uptake. [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-insulin was administered to seven cognitively normal (CN) adults and nine adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A 40-minute brain PET scan followed by a 15-minute whole-body PET/computed tomography was acquired for each patient.
No safety issues were identified with [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-insulin. The researchers found that whole-brain average standard uptake value was 0.68 ± 0.01 g/mL; by 40 and 60 minutes post-radiotracer administration, respectively, radioactivity in the brain and whole body were undetectable. Over the 40-minute period after intranasal insulin administration, elevated standard uptake values were observed in 11 regions: olfactory cortex, hippocampus, parahippocampus, amygdala, superior and middle temporal pole, insula, caudate, putamen, thalamus, and anterior cingulum. For MCI and CN groups, time-activity curves showed different uptake patterns. For subgroups based on cognitive status and sex, baseline pulse pressure, plasma insulin, and phosphorylated tau217 correlated with uptake.
"One of the biggest challenges in developing treatments for brain diseases is getting agents into the brain," coauthor Suzanne Craft, also from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a statement. "This study shows we can validate intranasal delivery systems effectively, an essential step before launching therapeutic trials."
Aptar Pharma provided all devices for the study at no cost.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
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