Clinical Application of 68Ga-1A12 PET in Fibrosis-related Diseases

Organ fibrosis is a common end-stage pathological change in various chronic diseases, characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and disruption of tissue architecture, which can involve multiple organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and intestines. Although the pathogenic triggers vary, the core molecular mechanisms are highly conserved, involving sustained activation of signaling pathways such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, and processes like epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) . Currently, histopathological biopsy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and staging of fibrosis, but its inherent invasiveness, sampling errors, and procedural risks limit its repeated application and dynamic monitoring .

In clinical practice, functional imaging modalities such as high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonic elastography have been employed to assess fibrosis in specific organs (e.g., lungs, liver). However, these methods predominantly rely on secondary morphological or physical property alterations, exhibiting limited capacity for identifying early-stage, active molecular-level pathological processes. Additionally, they are challenging to perform for systemic, multi-target quantitative evaluation.