Rubidium-82 - An Alternative Radiopharmaceutical for Myocardial Imaging(Rb-ARMI)

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death in Canada. Fifty percent of all Tc-99m used in nuclear medicine is for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) with SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The reduced supply of Tc-99m requires other tracers to be investigated. Tl-201 SPECT is available but generally accepted to be inferior to Tc-99m. Rubidium (Rb-82), a nonreactor produced tracer, is believed to have superior accuracy compared to Tc-99m and Tl-201 SPECT, with 5-20 times lower radiation dose. In the U.S. Rb-82 generators have been FDA-approved since 1989 and are used increasingly for CAD diagnosis, but are still considered investigational in Canada. Objectives: To demonstrate that Rb-82 PET MPI is i) an accurate, cost-effective alternative to Tc-99m; ii) superior to Tl-201; iii) can be implemented in multiple Canadian centres for the diagnosis and management of CAD. Short term clinical outcomes of Rb-82 will be evaluated and compared to Tc-99m and Tl-201 SPECT MPI across Canadian imaging centres. Plan: Rb-ARMI is an innovative multidisciplinary, multi-centre imaging research initiative that builds on existing collaborative networks and Canadian industry partnership (DRAXIMAGE). Rb PET will be implemented, standardized and validated in 4 overlapping phases over 2 years, at 10 Canadian Centres. Impact: This project meets the expected goal to "lead to clinical trial applications and clinical validation studies which compare novel radiolabeled probes with those in current practice", and to "bring a new radiopharmaceutical to the clinic" within a short time frame. Increased use of Rb-82 PET MPI has the potential to reduce the demand for Tc-99m by 10-40%, effectively increasing the available supply for other procedures, and improving the standard of care for many Canadians at risk of heart disease.