INALOX-IPF — INHalation of ALOXistatin against IPF
Figure 1. Correlation of histopathology and micro-CT for quantitative assessment of pulmonary fibrosis. Left: histopathological section with the fibrotic region segmented by a pathologist as the reference standard. Centre: corresponding micro-CT slice with the detected fibrotic region highlighted. Right: three-dimensional volume rendering of the lung, showing healthy and fibrotic tissue. The comparison provides a direct link between the histopathological reference and volumetric micro-CT measurements. This approach is intended to establish quantitative, three-dimensional imaging biomarkers of fibrosis and to determine how reliably micro-CT measurements reflect the underlying tissue pathology. In the longer term, such imaging-based readouts could help connect preclinical disease models with clinically relevant measurements of fibrosis and treatment response.
Quantitative micro-CT imaging for the evaluation of pulmonary fibrosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease characterized by the development of fibrotic tissue. INALOX-IPF investigates inhaled Aloxistatin as a potential antifibrotic therapy and aims to establish the preclinical evidence required for future clinical translation.
Our contribution focuses on quantitative imaging of pulmonary fibrosis. We use photon-counting micro-CT to visualize fibrotic changes in three dimensions and to investigate whether imaging-derived measurements can provide quantitative indicators of disease and treatment response.
A key part of this work is the correlation of micro-CT with histopathology. Histological sections, in which fibrotic regions are segmented by a pathologist, provide the gold standard for assessing fibrosis. The corresponding micro-CT volume is then analyzed to identify the same fibrotic structures in three dimensions. This allows us to directly compare imaging-derived fibrosis with the histopathological reference.
Dr. Martin Peter Pichotka
Scientific Lead of the Spectral CT Research Group
Tel.: +49 761 270-39220
E-Mail: martin.pichotka@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Medical Center – University of Freiburg
Dept. of Radiology · Medical Physics
Killianstr. 5a
79106 Freiburg