Non-invasive Imaging of Human Coronary Atherothrombosis

A new type of PET scan could let doctors see dangerous blood clots forming inside the heart’s arteries without needing to insert a catheter. Heart attacks happen when a fatty plaque in a coronary artery ruptures and a blood clot forms on top of it—a process called atherothrombosis. Until now, doctors could only detect the aftermath of this event, not the active clotting itself. This project builds on a technique the team already developed, which uses a radioactive tracer called 18F-fluoride to spot unstable plaques. The researchers now want to create new tracers that latch onto fresh clots, combined with motion-correction software that sharpens images of the beating heart. If successful, this would give cardiologists a non-invasive way to see both the vulnerable plaque and the clot forming on it in a single scan. That could transform how patients are diagnosed and risk-stratified, allowing earlier and more targeted treatment—for example, identifying who truly needs aggressive blood thinners or clot-busting drugs before a heart attack strikes. It would also help researchers test new therapies aimed at preventing thrombosis. The work is applied, not fundamental science: it aims directly at improving clinical decision-making for the millions of people living with coronary heart disease.