Patent ID: 7977058

Claim:
A method of identifying/monitoring active atherosclerotic plaques associated with blood vessel walls wherein the plaques comprise activated macrophages having accessible binding sites for a ligand said method comprising the steps of: administering to a patient suffering from atherosclerosis an effective amount of a composition comprising a folate receptor binding ligand conjugate of the general formula L-X wherein the group L comprises the folate receptor binding ligand wherein the folate receptor-binding ligand exhibits specific binding to the folate receptor, and the group X comprises a chemical moiety capable of emitting radiation; allowing sufficient time for the folate receptor-binding ligand conjugate to bind to the activated macrophages associated with the active plaques; and identifying active plaques by detecting radiation emitted by the chemical moiety associated with blood vessel walls using a method selected from the group consisting of the use of a catheter-based device and external imaging.