Coregistration of Small Animal PET and Autoradiography for in vivo–ex vivo Comparison

Abstract Background RNA-based vaccination strategies tailoring immune response to specific reactions have become an important pillar for a broad range of applications. Recently, the use of lipid-based nanoparticles opened the possibility to deliver RNA to specific sites within the body, overcoming the limitation of rapid degradation in the bloodstream. Here, we have investigated whether small animal PET/MRI can be employed to image the biodistribution of RNA-encoded protein. For this purpose, a reporter RNA coding for the sodium-iodide-symporter (NIS) was in vitro transcribed in cell lines and evaluated for expression. RNA-lipoplex nanoparticles were then assembled by complexing RNA with liposomes at different charge ratios, and functional NIS protein translation was imaged and quantified in vivo and ex vivo by Iodine-124 PET upon intravenous administration in mice. Results NIS expression was detected on the membrane of two cell lines as early as 6 h after transfection and gradually decreased over 48 h. In vivo and ex vivo PET/MRI of anionic spleen-targeting or cationic lung-targeting NIS-RNA lipoplexes revealed a visually detectable rapid increase of Iodine-124 uptake in the spleen or lung compared to control-RNA-lipoplexes, respectively, with minimal background in other organs except from thyroid, stomach and salivary gland. Conclusions The strong organ selectivity and high target-to-background acquisition of NIS-RNA lipoplexes indicate the feasibility of small animal PET/MRI to quantify organ-specific delivery of RNA.

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Preclinical and clinical study on [18F]DRKXH1: a novel β-amyloid PET tracer for Alzheimer’s disease

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging ◽

10.1007/s00259-021-05421-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

MiaoMiao Xu ◽

Jun Guo ◽

JiaCheng Gu ◽

LinLin Zhang ◽

ZiHao Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transgenic Mice ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Small Animal ◽

Small Animal Pet ◽

Animal Pet ◽

In Vitro Autoradiography ◽

Healthy Control ◽

The Brain

Abstract Background The deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain is a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Highly sensitive Aβ positron emission tomography (PET) imaging plays an essential role in diagnosing and evaluating the therapeutic effects of AD. Aim To synthesize a new Aβ tracer [18F]DRKXH1 (5-(4-(6-(2-[18]fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)imidazo[1,2-alpha]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl) and evaluate the tracer performance by biodistribution analysis, in vivo small-animal PET-CT dynamic scan, ex vivo and in vitro autoradiography, and PET in human subjects. Methods [18F]DRKXH1 was synthesized automatically by the GE FN module. Log D (pH 7.4) and biodistribution of [18F]DRKXH1 were investigated. Small-animal-PET was used for [18F]DRKXH1 and [18F]AV45 imaging study in AD transgenic mice (APPswe/PSEN1dE9) and age-matched normal mice. The distribution volume ratios (DVR) and standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were calculated with the cerebellum as the reference region. The deposition of Aβ plaques in the brain of AD transgenic mice was determined by ex vivo autoradiography and immunohistochemistry. In vitro autoradiography was performed in the postmortem brain sections of AD patients and healthy controls. Two healthy control subjects and one AD patient was subjected to in vivo PET study using [18F]DRKXH1. Results The yield of [18F]DRKXH1 was 40%, and the specific activity was 156.64 ± 11.55 GBq/μmol. [18F]DRKXH1 was mainly excreted through the liver and kidney. The small-animal PET study showed high initial brain uptake and rapid washout of [18F]DRKXH1. The concentration of [18F]DRKXH1 was detected in the cortex and hippocampus of AD transgenic mice brain. The cortex DVR of AD transgenic mice was higher than that of WT mice (P < 0.0001). Moreover, the SUVRs of AD transgenic mice were higher than those of WT mice based on the 0–60-min dynamic scanning. In vitro autoradiography showed a significant concentration of tracer in the Aβ plaque-rich areas in the brain of AD transgenic mice. The DVR value of [18F]-DRKXH1 is higher than that of [18F]-AV45 (1.29 ± 0.05 vs. 1.05 ± 0.08; t = 5.33, P = 0.0003). Autoradiography of postmortem human brain sections showed [18F]DRKXH1-labeled Aβ plaques in the AD brain. The AD patients had high retention in cortical regions, while healthy control subjects had uniformly low radioactivity uptake. Conclusions [18F]DRKXH1 is an Aβ tracer with high sensitivity in preclinical study and has the potential for in vivo detection of the human brain.

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In Vivo Imaging of Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors in Mouse Lungs: A Biomarker of Inflammation

Molecular Imaging ◽

10.2310/7290.2005.05133 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 7290.2005.05133 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Matthew J. Hardwick ◽

Ming-Kai Chen ◽

Kwamena Baidoo ◽

Martin G. Pomper ◽

Tomás R. Guilarte

Keyword(s):

In Vivo Imaging ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Imaging Techniques ◽

Benzodiazepine Receptors ◽

Small Animal ◽

Small Animal Pet ◽

Planar Imaging ◽

Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors

The ability to visualize the immune response with radioligands targeted to immune cells will enhance our understanding of cellular responses in inflammatory diseases. Peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBR) are present in monocytes and neutrophils as well as in lung tissue. We used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a model of inflammation to assess whether the PBR could be used as a noninvasive marker of inflammation in the lungs. Planar imaging of mice administrated 10 or 30 mg/kg LPS showed increased [123I]-( R)-PK11195 radioactivity in the thorax 2 days after LPS treatment relative to control. Following imaging, lungs from control and LPS-treated mice were harvested for ex vivo gamma counting and showed significantly increased radioactivity above control levels. The specificity of the PBR response was determined using a blocking dose of nonradioactive PK11195 given 30 min prior to radiotracer injection. Static planar images of the thorax of nonradioactive PK11195 pretreated animals showed a significantly lower level of radiotracer accumulation in control and in LPS-treated animals ( p < .05). These data show that LPS induces specific increases in PBR ligand binding in the lungs. We also used in vivo small-animal PET studies to demonstrate increased [11C]-( R)-PK11195 accumulation in the lungs of LPS-treated mice. This study suggests that measuring PBR expression using in vivo imaging techniques may be a useful biomarker to image lung inflammation.

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Implementation of 89Zr production and in vivo imaging of B-cells in mice with 89Zr-labeled anti-B-cell antibodies by small animal PET/CT

Applied Radiation and Isotopes ◽

10.1016/j.apradiso.2011.02.040 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 69 (6) ◽

pp. 852-857 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Martin Walther ◽

Peter Gebhardt ◽

Philipp Grosse-Gehling ◽

Lydia Würbach ◽

Ingo Irmler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

B Cells ◽

B Cell ◽

In Vivo Imaging ◽

Small Animal ◽

Small Animal Pet ◽

Animal Pet ◽

Pet Ct

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A Semi Rigid Novel Hydroxamate AMPED-Based Ligand for 89Zr PET Imaging

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26195819 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (19) ◽

pp. 5819

Author(s):

Lisa Russelli ◽

Francesco De Rose ◽

Loredana Leone ◽

Sybille Reder ◽

Markus Schwaiger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pet Imaging ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Small Animal ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Small Animal Pet ◽

Organ Distribution ◽

Complexing Agent ◽

Distribution Studies

In this work, we designed, developed, characterized, and investigated a new chelator and its bifunctional derivative for 89Zr labeling and PET-imaging. In a preliminary study, we synthesized two hexadentate chelators named AAZTHAS and AAZTHAG, based on the seven-membered heterocycle AMPED (6-amino-6-methylperhydro-1,4-diazepine) with the aim to increase the rigidity of the 89Zr complex by using N-methyl-N-(hydroxy)succinamide or N-methyl-N-(hydroxy)glutaramide pendant arms attached to the cyclic structure. N-methylhydroxamate groups are the donor groups chosen to efficiently coordinate 89Zr. After in vitro stability tests, we selected the chelator with longer arms, AAZTHAG, as the best complexing agent for 89Zr presenting a stability of 86.4 ± 5.5% in human serum (HS) for at least 72 h. Small animal PET/CT static scans acquired at different time points (up to 24 h) and ex vivo organ distribution studies were then carried out in healthy nude mice (n = 3) to investigate the stability and biodistribution in vivo of this new 89Zr-based complex. High stability in vivo, with low accumulation of free 89Zr in bones and kidneys, was measured. Furthermore, an activated ester functionalized version of AAZTHAG was synthesized to allow the conjugation with biomolecules such as antibodies. The bifunctional chelator was then conjugated to the human anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody Trastuzumab (Tz) as a proof of principle test of conjugation to biologically active molecules. The final 89Zr labeled compound was characterized via radio-HPLC and SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography, and its stability in different solutions was assessed for at least 4 days.

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