Advancing the monitoring of Crohn’s disease with PET-based imaging

IRR researcher Dr Rahul Kalla and his team, in collaboration the Edinburgh Cardiovascular Imaging Group, has secured funding to investigate the use of total-body PET/CT imaging to track fibrosis in Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a long-term inflammatory condition that can affect any part of the digestive system, impacting 6.8 million people globally. Despite therapeutic advances, around 40% of patients will develop intestinal fibrosis and obstruction, often leading to surgery. At present, there are no reliable tools to monitor fibrotic progression.

To address this gap, IRR researcher and consultant gastroenterologist Dr Rahul Kalla and his research team have secured funding to explore the use of PET-based imaging to track fibrosis activity in CD. This is the first time this imaging approach will be applied to monitor fibrotic changes in the disease.

We currently have no treatments that can treat fibrosis, a debilitating complication of Crohn's disease. We are excited to be working with Johnson & Johnson to improve our understanding of fibrosis in Crohn's disease and inform the development of future drug therapies.

Dr Rahul Kalla IRR researcher

Supported by funding from Johnson & Johnson and in collaboration with the Edinburgh Cardiovascular Imaging Group, led by Professor Newby, the project will use the newly installed full-body PET/CT scanner in Edinburgh BioQuarter. The scanner, funded through a £12 million UKRI investment, will be instrumental in uncovering the biological processes that drive intestinal fibrosis.

This exciting collaborative project between The University of Edinburgh and Johnson and Johnson is a major initiative which the National PET Imaging Platform was specifically designed to facilitate. We are delighted to be using the power of the Scottish total-body PET facility to provide major new insights into the pathophysiology and treatment of Crohn’s disease.

Professor David E Newby Personal Chair - BHF Duke of Edinburgh Chair of Cardiology

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