SHREVEPORT, La. — The Center for Molecular Imaging and Therapy (CMIT), a subsidiary of BRF, has joined the Brain Health Alliance’s nationwide EPSMS Study, a clinical trial using whole-body PET imaging to study multiple sclerosis.
The EPSMS Study, or Entire-body PET Scans for Multiple Sclerosis, is designed to evaluate how molecular imaging can track demyelination and remyelination processes in patients. CMIT is the second imaging site approved to begin scanning participants, alongside Northern California PET Imaging Center in Sacramento, Calif.
Unlike traditional MRI scans, the study uses FDA-approved PET radiopharmaceuticals originally developed for Alzheimer’s disease. These compounds bind to myelin, allowing researchers to visualize both the central and peripheral nervous systems. The approach aims to provide a more complete view of MS pathology.
“This collaboration places Shreveport at the forefront of innovative MS research,” said Stephen Lokitz, Ph.D., executive director of CMIT.
Dr. Carl Taswell, principal investigator and founder of the Brain Health Alliance, said the study represents one of the first efforts to test whole-body imaging of MS in a clinical setting. “We believe this could lead to more precise assessments of disease activity and treatment response,” he said.
The study is open to adults ages 25 to 55, both with and without an MS diagnosis, who meet medical eligibility requirements and can undergo a 30-minute PET scan. Participants must have a designated partner to accompany them. Exclusion criteria include certain health conditions, recent medical procedures, and contraindications for PET scanning.
Enrollment information is available at epsms.brainhealthalliance.net.
CMIT, based in Shreveport, operates clinical and preclinical PET/CT imaging, research laboratories, and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing. The Brain Health Alliance is a nonprofit consortium advancing neuroimaging research and computational informatics in neuroscience.