Fibroblast Activating Protein (FAP) PET/CT in Adults With Tuberculosis

September 15, 2026 updated by: University of Pennsylvania

This is an early phase study in patients with Tuberculosis (TB) to evaluate Fibroblast Activating Protein (FAP) activation as a marker of fibrosis. The Investigators propose to use FAP PET/CT to define the extent and location of FAP signals in lungs of TB patients early in TB treatment and after TB cure. These timepoints are chosen as they could be utilized to deliver treatments designed to prevent, predict, or treat Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD). The overarching hypothesis is that greater FAP signals in lungs of adult TB patients are associated with greater imaging manifestations of PTLD after cure.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Most participants will be receiving care at the clinical practices of the University of Pennsylvania or through City of Philadelphia TB Control Program (named the Flick clinic). Patients may participate in this study if they are at least 21 years of age and will be approached about study participation regardless of race or ethnic background. The study anticipates enrolling up to 10 participants who meet eligibility requirements for this study. Accrual is estimated to occur over approximately 2 years.

Investigators propose to use Fibroblast Activating Protein (FAP) PET/computed tomography (CT) to define the extent and location of FAP signals in lungs of TB patients at the time of TB treatment initiation and after TB cure. These timepoints are chosen as they could be utilized to deliver treatments designed to prevent, predict, or treat Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD). The overarching hypothesis is that greater FAP signals in lungs of adult TB patients are associated with greater imaging manifestations of PTLD after cure. This is important, as radiographic findings in TB are associated with mortality.

This longitudinal study will perform FAP PET/CT and high-resolution CT (HRCT) within 6 weeks of TB treatment initiation and again within 6 months after TB cure to evaluate the hypothesis that change in total pulmonary FAP signal during treatment is associated with change in a measure of total lung structural damage previously validated in TB. It is expected that patients with less decrease in FAP lung signals will have less improvement in lung structural damage despite curative TB treatment.

After injection of [F-18]-FAPI-74, patients will undergo a vertex to mid-thigh scan, starting at approximately 30 minutes (± 5 min) post injection. PET/CT imaging sessions will include an injection of ≤ 8.0 mCi (expected range of doses is expected to be 6.0-8.0 mCi) of [F-18]-FAPI-74 intravenously. Data will be collected to evaluate uptake of [F-18]-FAPI-74 in the lung.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

10

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

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 Backup

Study Locations

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

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Participants will be ≥ 21 years of age
  2. Diagnosed with microbiologically confirmed (culture or Xpert MTB/RIF PCR positive on at least one respiratory sample) pTB
  3. Be currently on or able to initiate standard drug-sensitive pTB treatment according to IDSA guidelines.
  4. Have initiated or planning to initiate TB treatment prior to screening and enrollment.
  5. Have a Timika CXR score indicating cavitary disease
  6. Be able and willing to provide written informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Diagnosed with TB that is resistant to rifampin per medical record review or have only extrapulmonary TB.
  2. Women of childbearing potential may not be pregnant or breast-feeding. A negative pregnancy test will be required before [F-18]-FAPI-74 injection.
  3. Inability to tolerate imaging procedures in the opinion of an investigator or treating physician
  4. Any current medical condition, illness, or disorder as assessed by medical record review and/or self-reported that is considered by a physician investigator to be a condition that could compromise participant safety or successful participation in the study, including completion of the study follow-up or TB treatment.
  5. History of major alternative pulmonary disease such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or interstitial lung disease as per medical record review or patient self-report. "Major" is defined as potentially resulting in pulmonary radiographic abnormalities that could interfere with interpretation of PET-CT scan data.
  6. Have been administered at least 7 days of corticosteroids or any duration of another systemic investigational agent within 3 months of enrollment per medical record review or patient self-report
  7. Have symptoms or signs that, in the opinion of the investigative team, are suggestive of active TB at the time of pre-screening per patient self-report

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pulmonary Tuberculosis Cohort

Participants aged 21 years of age or older with a diagnosis of pulmonary Tuberculosis
Drug: [18F]-FAPI-74

Each patient will receive approximately 8 mCi of [18F]-FAPI-74 intravenously (approximate range for most studies is anticipated to be 6-8 mCi). This will be followed by a vertex to thigh static scan at 30 minutes ( ±5 min) post injection and a low dose CT for attenuation correction. Participants will also undergo high-resolution CT (HRCT) of the chest at baseline and follow-up timepoints, these scans may be done the same day or on different days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Determine the relationship between change in FAP PET signals in lungs during TB treatment and change in lung structural damage in adult patients treated for pulmonary TB.
Time Frame: 6 months

Greater radiographic lung structural damage in TB, a hallmark of PTLD, is inversely associated with lung function and has repeatedly been associated with reduced survival in TB5, 21-23. This longitudinal study will perform FAP PET/CT and high-resolution CT (HRCT) within 6 weeks of TB treatment initiation and again within 6 months after TB cure to evaluate the hypothesis that change in total pulmonary FAP signal during treatment is associated with change in a measure of total lung structural damage previously validated in TB. It is expected that patients with less decrease in FAP lung signals will have less improvement in lung structural damage despite curative TB treatment.
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Characterize the association between FAP PET signals in lungs early after TB diagnosis and persistent lung structural damage after cure.
Time Frame: 6 months

Investigators will use the longitudinal data from Aim 1 to evaluate the hypothesis that higher levels of total FAP signal in the lungs early will be associated with higher overall levels of residual structural lung damage on HRCT after TB cure. It is expected that higher baseline FAP signal will be associated with worse residual structural lung damage.
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mark A Sellmyer, MD, UPENN, Gerd Muehllehner Associate Professor of Radiology

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)

September 30, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 15, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB# 25-1425 (859162)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

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.

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