NARI's Ga-68 Dolacga works by targeting asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPRs) on healthy hepatocyte membranes — a mechanism that lets a PET tracer measure liver function directly, where CT can only show structure.

The biology underpinning the tracer is well characterized. ASGPRs physiologically clear glycoproteins carrying galactose or N-acetylglucosamine residues from the circulation.

Why does this receptor make a good imaging target?

In mammalian circulation, roughly 90% of proteins are glycoproteins, and most carry terminal sialic acid residues. As these glycoproteins age, enzymes strip the sialic acids, exposing galactose, lactose or N-acetylgalactosamine residues underneath. ASGPRs on hepatocytes then bind and remove those desialylated proteins from the blood.

That gives the receptor two properties an imaging developer wants: it sits on the surface of functional hepatocytes, and its uptake tracks a quantifiable, receptor-mediated process rather than passive perfusion.

What could it change for clinical and R&D workflows?

Because ASGPR density depends on viable hepatocyte mass, a Ga-68-labeled ligand such as Dolacga can, in principle, quantify functional liver capacity — information that anatomical imaging cannot provide. The approach positions PET as a functional complement to CT in hepatology, oncology dosing decisions and transplant assessment, though the available source material does not report clinical trial data, sample sizes or measured sensitivity and specificity figures for the tracer.

Ga-68 chemistry itself is a practical choice for imaging programs: the generator-based isotope avoids the cyclotron dependency of other positron emitters, which matters for supply chains at sites without on-site production.

The ASGPR mechanism itself is not in question — the receptor's role in clearing aged glycoproteins from circulation is established physiology. What remains open is how precisely Dolacga's uptake translates into clinically actionable liver-function measurements as NARI advances the tracer.