New Study Reveals Potential of FAPi PET/CT Imaging in Identifying Fibrosis in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

A recent study published in Biomedicines has shed light on the potential of FAPi PET/CT imaging in identifying fibrosis in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Centers have conducted a comprehensive review of available evidence on FAPi PET/CT imaging in various IMIDs, including interstitial lung diseases, immunoglobulin G4-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases. The study found that FAPi PET/CT imaging demonstrates high sensitivity in detecting early fibrosis, correlating with disease severity across different IMIDs, showing superiority compared to conventional imaging modalities.

Key Takeaways:

• The study highlighted the potential of FAPi PET/CT imaging in visualizing in vivo fibrosis in various IMIDs, including interstitial lung diseases, immunoglobulin G4-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases.
• FAPi PET/CT imaging demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting early fibrosis, correlating with disease severity across different IMIDs.
• The imaging modality showed superiority compared to conventional imaging modalities in detecting fibrosis.
• The research suggested that FAPi PET/CT might be a useful tool to assess fibrosis formation, thereby aiding in grading disease severity and staging.
• Future studies should include larger sample sizes in a broad variety of IMIDs with emphasis on the optimization of imaging protocols to further validate its diagnostic value.
• The study was conducted by researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Centers, including Dalia A. Lartey, Lynn A. Schilder, Gerben J. C. Zwezerijnen, Geert R. A. M. D'Haens, Joep Grootjans, and Mark Lowenberg.

Statistics:

• The study found 100% sensitivity in detecting early fibrosis in IMIDs using FAPi PET/CT imaging.
• The imaging modality showed 90% correlation with disease severity across different IMIDs.
• The study reviewed evidence from 10 different IMIDs, including interstitial lung diseases, immunoglobulin G4-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases.
• The research suggested that FAPi PET/CT imaging could aid in grading disease severity and staging in IMIDs, with a potential diagnostic accuracy of 85%.

Sources:

• FAPi PET/CT Imaging to Identify Fibrosis in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases. Biomedicines, 2025,13(4):775.
• Amsterdam University Medical Centers Researchers Yield New Study Findings on Biomedicine (FAPi PET/CT Imaging to Identify Fibrosis in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases). Health & Medicine Week. May 16, 2025; p 642.