A Prospective Diagnostic Trial of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET in Patients With Suspected Cardiac Sarcoidosis and Infective Endocarditis (FOL-CARD)

September 9, 2026 updated by: Turku University Hospital

A Prospective Diagnostic Trial of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET in Patients With Suspected Cardiac Sarcoidosis and Infective Endocarditis (FOL-CARD)

The goal of this prospective diagnostic study is to evaluate the imaging characteristics, diagnostic performance, radiation dosimetry, and safety of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET imaging in patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis and infective endocarditis, and healthy volunteers. The study is non-interventional with respect to clinical management, and all diagnostic and therapeutic decisions are made according to routine clinical practice independent of study participation.

The main aims are to evaluate quantitative uptake of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate measured by PET imaging in the left ventricular myocardium of patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis, and in cardiac valves or prosthetic valve regions in patients with suspected infective endocarditis.

Participants will undergo PET imaging with Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate tracer at the Turku PET Centre. Participants with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis will undergo a second PET imaging study after initiation of immunosuppressive therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
143

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Finland
      • Turku, Finland, 20520
        • Turku University Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ability to provide written informed consent
  • Suspected cardiac sarcoidosis group: clinical suspicion of cardiac sarcoidosis requiring diagnostic evaluation, including cardiac magnetic resonance and/or [¹⁸F]FDG PET
  • Suspected infective endocarditis group: clinical suspicion of native or prosthetic valve infective endocarditis requiring diagnostic evaluation
  • Healthy volunteers group:
  • Age above 50 and post-menopausal (women)
  • No history of cardiovascular disease, systemic inflammatory disease, malignancy, and no active infection

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Known hypersensitivity to folate-based compounds or investigational medical product excipients
  • Unwillingness or inability to use effective contraception during the study participation period, in participants of childbearing potential
  • Severe renal impairment (CKD-EPI GFR <20ml/min)
  • Clinically unstable condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would make study imaging unsafe or not feasible (e.g., haemodynamic instability, decompensated heart failure, uncontrolled clinically significant arrhythmia, suspicion of acute coronary syndrome)
  • Systemic immunosuppressive therapy for more than 7 days prior to baseline Al[18F]F-NOTA-folate PET imaging
  • Inability to complete protocol-defined study procedures
  • Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test prior to tracer administration

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Suspected cardiac sarcoidosis
Patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis. All diagnostic and therapeutic decisions are made according to routine clinical practice independent of study participation.
Diagnostic test: Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET imaging
Imaging is performed in all study groups to assess myocardial, valvular, and extracardiac tracer uptake using a total-body PET/CT system (Siemens Quadra, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany). Imaging will cover the region from head to mid-thighs to enable assessment of both cardiac and extracardiac tracer uptake. Serum and plasma samples, ECG and vital signs are collected during the imaging study visit.
Other Names:
  • Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate
Diagnostic test: [15O]water PET imaging
Resting myocardial perfusion imaging using [15O]water PET is performed only in patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis to assess myocardial perfusion and support interpretation of Al[18F]F-NOTA-folate uptake.
Diagnostic test: Echocardiography
Transthoracic echocardiography (GE Vivid 95, GE Healthcare, Hjorten, Norway) will be performed in patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis to assess left ventricular structure and function. Acquisition and analysis will follow standard clinical protocols. Echocardiography will be performed during the same visits as PET imaging.
Experimental: Suspected infective endocarditis
Patients with suspected infective endocarditis. All diagnostic and therapeutic decisions are made according to routine clinical practice independent of study participation.
Diagnostic test: Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET imaging
Imaging is performed in all study groups to assess myocardial, valvular, and extracardiac tracer uptake using a total-body PET/CT system (Siemens Quadra, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany). Imaging will cover the region from head to mid-thighs to enable assessment of both cardiac and extracardiac tracer uptake. Serum and plasma samples, ECG and vital signs are collected during the imaging study visit.
Other Names:
  • Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate
Experimental: Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers without known cardiovascular or systemic inflammatory disease.
Diagnostic test: Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET imaging
Imaging is performed in all study groups to assess myocardial, valvular, and extracardiac tracer uptake using a total-body PET/CT system (Siemens Quadra, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany). Imaging will cover the region from head to mid-thighs to enable assessment of both cardiac and extracardiac tracer uptake. Serum and plasma samples, ECG and vital signs are collected during the imaging study visit.
Other Names:
  • Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quantitative uptake of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate measured by PET in the left ventricular myocardium in patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis.
Time Frame: Visit 2 (baseline imaging), no later than 7 days after initiation of systemic immunosuppressive therapy.
Quantitative uptake of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate on PET in the left ventricular myocardium (global and regional standardized uptake value (SUV) measures derived from polar map analysis) in suspected cardiac sarcoidosis.
Visit 2 (baseline imaging), no later than 7 days after initiation of systemic immunosuppressive therapy.
Quantitative uptake of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate measured by PET in infected versus non-infected cardiac valves or prostheses in patients with suspected infective endocarditis
Time Frame: Visit 2 (baseline imaging), performed within 14 days of enrolment and no later than 14 days after initiation of intravenous antibiotic therapy.
Quantitative uptake of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate on PET in the valve/prosthesis region in suspected infective endocarditis (SUVmax and TBR = SUVmax valve/prosthesis / SUVmean blood pool).
Visit 2 (baseline imaging), performed within 14 days of enrolment and no later than 14 days after initiation of intravenous antibiotic therapy.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diagnostic performance of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET for cardiac sarcoidosis and native or prosthetic valve infective endocarditis
Time Frame: From enrollment to study completion at 2 years.
From enrollment to study completion at 2 years.
Change in myocardial Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate uptake following immunosuppressive therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis
Time Frame: From Visit 2 (baseline imaging) to Visit 3 (follow-up imaging). Visit 2 is performed 7 days after initiation of systemic immunosuppressive therapy and Visit 3 is performed approximately 3 months after baseline imaging.
Patients with confirmed CS may undergo optional follow-up static PET imaging with Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate and [¹⁵O]water approximately 3 months after baseline imaging to assess changes in inflammatory activity following initiation of immunosuppressive therapy.
From Visit 2 (baseline imaging) to Visit 3 (follow-up imaging). Visit 2 is performed 7 days after initiation of systemic immunosuppressive therapy and Visit 3 is performed approximately 3 months after baseline imaging.
Biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate
Time Frame: Visit 2 (imaging), performed 7-14 days after Visit 1 (screening and enrolment).
Healthy volunteers will undergo extended imaging, including dynamic imaging for 120 min starting at the time of tracer injection + static imaging for 10 minutes at 150 min after tracer injection to support analysis of tracer kinetics and biodistribution, and radiation dosimetry calculations.
Visit 2 (imaging), performed 7-14 days after Visit 1 (screening and enrolment).
Incidence and severity of adverse events related to Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate
Time Frame: Suspected sarcoidosis and infective endocarditis groups: from Visit 2 (baseline imaging) to study completion at 2 years. Healthy volunteers: from Visit 2 to 48-72 hours, when safety laboratory tests will be obtained and AEs assessed by phone interview.
Incidence and severity of adverse events (AE) and adverse reactions; clinically significant changes in vital signs or ECG; changes in safety laboratory parameters (healthy volunteers); clinically indicated laboratory assessments performed in the event of an adverse event (as applicable); and investigator assessment of relationship to Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate.
Suspected sarcoidosis and infective endocarditis groups: from Visit 2 (baseline imaging) to study completion at 2 years. Healthy volunteers: from Visit 2 to 48-72 hours, when safety laboratory tests will be obtained and AEs assessed by phone interview.

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Associations between myocardial Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate uptake and other parameters collected during study visits, and adverse cardiac events during follow-up in patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis.
Time Frame: From enrollment to end of follow-up at 2 years.
Other measured parameters include left ventricular function, myocardial perfusion, and circulating and imaging biomarkers of myocardial injury or inflammation.
From enrollment to end of follow-up at 2 years.
Associations between valvular Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate uptake and clinical events in patients with suspected infective endocarditis.
Time Frame: From study enrollment to end of follow-up at 2 years.
Clinical events include duration of antibiotic therapy, causative micro-organism, systemic inflammatory parameters, anatomical valvular lesions, need for cardiac surgery and adverse cardiac events during follow-up.
From study enrollment to end of follow-up at 2 years.
Extra-cardiac inflammatory or infectious foci.
Time Frame: Suspected sarcoidosis group: Visit 2 (baseline imaging, for details see primary outcome measure) and Visit 3 (follow-up imaging after 3 months). Suspected infective endocarditis group: Visit 2 (baseline imaging, for details see primary outcome measure).
Detection and characterisation of extra-cardiac inflammatory or infectious foci on whole-body Al[¹⁸F]F-NOTA-folate PET imaging.
Suspected sarcoidosis group: Visit 2 (baseline imaging, for details see primary outcome measure) and Visit 3 (follow-up imaging after 3 months). Suspected infective endocarditis group: Visit 2 (baseline imaging, for details see primary outcome measure).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Turku University Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Helsinki University Central Hospital
Satasairaala

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 14, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 13119
  • 2026-526655-59-00 (Ctis)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings