AQW 45241/22-27


Mrs Linda Dillon
Sinn Féin
Mid Ulster


Tabled Date: 30/04/2026
Answered On Date: 21/05/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health (i) whether his Department is monitoring the development of emerging imaging techniques, including molecular tracer-based scans for the early detection of endometriosis, which are currently at an early stage of development; and (ii) to detail any engagement that has taken place with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in relation to any future assessment, approval and potential commissioning of such technologies.


Answer:
Technetium99m (⁹⁹ᵐTc) is the most widely used radionuclide in nuclear medicine, underpinning millions of diagnostic imaging procedures worldwide each year. As a gammaemitting radioactive tracer, ⁹⁹ᵐTc can be detected by nuclear medicine gamma cameras, enabling functional imaging across a wide range of clinical applications within diagnostic imaging services.
Maraciclatide is a ⁹⁹ᵐTc –labelled peptide radiotracer designed to bind to the cell adhesion protein αvβ3 integrin, a molecule known to be expressed during angiogenesis and inflammatory processes. At present, ⁹⁹ᵐTcmaraciclatide is not licensed for routine clinical use in the UK or Northern Ireland and may only be administered within a regulated research framework.
The DETECT study, officially titled "Detecting Endometriosis expressed integrins using technetium-99m," is an ongoing research project led by the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of 99mTc-maraciclatide, a radio-labelled tracer that targets the cell adhesion protein αvβ3 integrin, in imaging endometriosis, particularly its earliest stage, superficial peritoneal endometriosis.
Although ⁹⁹ᵐTcmaraciclatide is not yet clinically available, the DETECT study represents an important step in assessing its feasibility and diagnostic utility. If successful, this radiotracer has the potential to become a transformational nuclear medicine imaging application in women’s health, offering a noninvasive, functional imaging approach to the diagnosis of endometriosis.
As the study is only for twenty patients to date, I don’t believe there has been any engagement with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).