Measurement Of Mucociliary Transport: Novel Application Of Positron Emission Tomography

Mucociliary transport (MCT) is an innate defense mechanism of the lungs. Failure of this defense is implicated in several airway diseases. Previous methods to measure MCT in vivo either lack temporal resolution to capture its full dynamics or utilize large particle sizes. The goal of this study is to develop a measurement assay that accurately quantitates MCT, while meeting physiologic characteristics. Positron emission tomography (PET) has been used to capture in vivo dynamic biological processes, such as myocardial blood flow. We hypothesize a PET-based dynamic imaging method will capture MCT within the airways. In a pilot study, physiologically relevant inert radiotracer particles were distally delivered to newborn porcine airways, and an analysis platform was constructed to measure its transport and clearance overtime. PET imaging measurements of dynamic mucus transport and clearance throughout the airways was measured continuously for 15 minutes with a timing resolution of 10 seconds. The fine temporal resolution of dynamic PET captured the clearance and transport of delivered radiolabeled particles overtime.