What Lights Up in a Heart Scan and Why We’ve Been Wrong All Along

Do you think you’re imaging angiogenesis with [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-NODAGA-RGD? Think again.

In our latest study, we combined PET-CT imaging with single-nucleus transcriptomics – and discovered that what lights up in your scans may not be what you’ve assumed. Instead of endothelial cells, it’s activated fibroblasts showing the highest αvβ3-integrin expression during early post-MI healing.

These findings challenge the long-standing assumption that αvβ3 imaging reflects angiogenesis and suggest we need to fundamentally rethink how we interpret RGD-based PET tracers in the myocardium.

Read the full study in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00259-025-07489-4