[18F]4-fluoro-4-deoxyfructose

[18F]4-fluoro-4-deoxyfructose (also known as [18F]4-FDF or under the brand name NeuCaVis) is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer designed to map fructose metabolism (fructolysis) in vivo. Developed by researchers at the University of Ottawa and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and licensed to the spinout company Yellowbird Diagnostics, [18F]4-FDF is a radiodeoxyfluorinated fructose analog modified at the C4 position. This specific C4-deoxyfluorination prevents aldolase-mediated scission of the phosphorylated metabolite, leading to intracellular trapping as fluorodeoxysorbitol and fluorodeoxyfructose-1-phosphate. Unlike the standard glucose tracer [18F]FDG, [18F]4-FDF exhibits minimal uptake in healthy brain and heart tissues, which naturally have high glycolytic activity, thereby providing a highly sensitive imaging tool for detecting neuroinflammation, cardioinflammation, and various cancers where a metabolic switch to fructolysis occurs. It has completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers.

Brand names

NeuCaVis

Other names

4-FDF4-fluoro-4-deoxyfructose4FDF[18F]4-FDF[18F]4-fluorodeoxyfructose[18F]4FDF