Landmark Alzheimer's Trial Taps XingImaging for Advanced Brain Scan Oversight

NEW HAVEN, CT – February 18, 2026 – A groundbreaking clinical trial aimed at accelerating the discovery of new Alzheimer's treatments has selected Connecticut-based XingImaging to manage its complex imaging operations, placing advanced brain scanning technology at the very center of the fight against the neurodegenerative disease.

The company will serve as the Imaging Core Lab for the Alzheimer's Tau Platform (ATP), a multi-arm, randomized Phase II study designed to test multiple therapeutic candidates simultaneously. Supported by a staggering $151 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a division of the National Institutes of Health, the ATP trial represents one of the most ambitious and innovative efforts to date in the quest to halt Alzheimer's in its earliest stages.

A New Blueprint for Alzheimer's Research

The ATP trial is not a typical drug study. It employs a sophisticated “platform trial” design, a model adapted from cancer research to dramatically increase the efficiency of testing new therapies. Instead of running separate, slow, and costly trials for each drug, the ATP's master protocol allows researchers to evaluate multiple tau-directed treatments at once, using a shared infrastructure and placebo group. This design is expected to significantly reduce the time and cost required to determine which therapies hold the most promise.

Set to enroll up to 750 participants across approximately 78 clinical sites in the United States, the study focuses on individuals aged 50–80 with late preclinical or early prodromal Alzheimer's disease. These are individuals who have the biological hallmarks of the disease, confirmed by biomarkers, but have either no or only very mild cognitive symptoms. The goal is to intervene before significant and irreversible brain damage occurs.

The trial's strategy reflects a major evolution in Alzheimer's research. For decades, the primary focus was on clearing amyloid plaques from the brain. The ATP trial will investigate whether therapies targeting the tau protein—which forms tangles inside neurons that are more closely linked to cognitive decline—can be effective. It will test these tau-directed therapies both on their own and in combination with an established anti-amyloid therapy, acknowledging that a multi-pronged attack may be necessary to conquer the complex disease.

The Power of Precision Imaging

At the heart of this innovative trial is the use of highly advanced molecular imaging. The primary goal is to see, with unprecedented precision, whether the new therapies can reduce the accumulation of pathological tau in the brain. This is where XingImaging's role becomes critical.

As the Imaging Core Lab, the New Haven company will oversee all Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging operations. This includes two types of scans: tau PET, the study's main tool for measuring treatment effect, and amyloid PET, which provides a baseline and longitudinal measure of the brain's amyloid burden.

"The ATP trial represents a new generation of Alzheimer's disease therapeutic studies—ones that rely on sensitive, quantitative biomarkers to understand treatment effects with unprecedented precision," said Keith Johnson, MD, Co-Principal Investigator of the ATP Trial. "Tau PET imaging provides a direct window into the core pathology driving cognitive decline, while amyloid PET allows detailed characterization of amyloid burden. XingImaging's leadership as the Imaging Core Lab ensures the highest standards of data quality and scientific rigor across our trial network."

This reliance on quantitative imaging—turning scans into hard data—allows researchers to directly measure a drug's biological impact, rather than waiting years to observe changes in cognitive symptoms. This provides a much faster and more accurate signal of whether a treatment is working, enabling quicker decisions on which drugs to advance to larger, more definitive Phase III trials.

A Strategic Win for a Neuroimaging Leader

For XingImaging, being selected for a study of this scale and scientific importance is a major validation of its specialized expertise and technological infrastructure. The company, which recently opened a new state-of-the-art research facility in New Haven, is a leader in neuroimaging and radiopharmaceutical services. Its capabilities are perfectly matched to the demands of the ATP trial.

"Quantitative tau PET is at the heart of the ATP trial, and we are delighted to serve as the Imaging Core Lab for a study of such scientific and clinical significance," said Roger Gunn, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at XingImaging. "The combination of tau and amyloid PET biomarkers offers unprecedented insight into therapeutic impact, disease progression, and patient stratification."

This project leverages the company's end-to-end services, from managing logistics across dozens of clinical sites to applying advanced analytics to the complex imaging data. The company's ability to ensure consistency and quality across a vast network is essential for the trial's success.

"This is exactly the type of platform where high-quality, quantitative imaging can accelerate therapeutic discovery," stated Gilles Tamagnan, PhD, CEO of XingImaging. "We are committed to supporting the ATP consortium by delivering imaging science, operational excellence, and advanced analytics capable of powering next-generation therapeutic development for Alzheimer's disease."

Accelerating the Quest for Early Intervention

The ultimate significance of the ATP trial extends far beyond corporate contracts and scientific methodology. It represents a tangible source of hope for the millions of people affected by Alzheimer's disease. By focusing on early intervention and employing a more efficient trial design, the platform has the potential to dramatically shorten the timeline for developing effective treatments.

The shift toward targeting tau, both alone and in combination with anti-amyloid drugs, signals a more mature and nuanced understanding of the disease. Scientists now widely believe that a multi-target approach, initiated early in the disease process, will offer the best chance of success.

By providing a clear, measurable, and biologically relevant endpoint, the advanced PET imaging managed by XingImaging is the key that unlocks the potential of this entire platform. If successful, the ATP trial will not only identify promising new drug candidates but will also establish a new, faster, and more effective paradigm for testing neurodegenerative therapies. This could pave the way for a future where an Alzheimer's diagnosis is not a devastating endpoint, but the beginning of a manageable, treatable condition.