[89Zr]Zr(oxinate)4 Allows Direct Radiolabelling and PET Imaging of Small Extracellular Vesicles

We report [18F]nifene binding to α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors (nAChRs) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study used transgenic Hualpha-Syn(A53T) PD mouse model of α-synucleinopathy for PET/CT studies in vivo and autoradiography in vitro. Additionally, postmortem human PD brain sections comprising of anterior cingulate were used in vitro to assess translation to human studies. Because the small size of mice brain poses challenges for PET imaging, improved methods for radiosynthesis of [18F]nifene and simplified PET/CT procedures in mice were developed by comparing intravenous (IV) and intraperitoneal (IP) administered [18F]nifene. An optimal PET/CT imaging time of 30–60 min post injection of [18F]nifene was established to provide thalamus to cerebellum ratio of 2.5 (with IV) and 2 (with IP). Transgenic Hualpha-Syn(A53T) mice brain slices exhibited 20–35% decrease while in vivo a 20–30% decrease of [18F]nifene was observed. Lewy bodies and α-synuclein aggregates were confirmed in human PD brain sections which lowered the [18F]nifene binding by more than 50% in anterior cingulate. Thus [18F]nifene offers a valuable tool for PET imaging studies of PD.

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Preclinical and Exploratory Clinical Studies of Novel 68Ga-labeled ᴅ-Peptide Antagonist for PET Imaging of TIGIT Expression in Cancers

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1022828/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaobo Wang ◽

Ming Zhou ◽

Bei Chen ◽

Huanhuan Liu ◽

Jianyang Fang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Pet Imaging ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Ct Imaging ◽

Whole Body ◽

Binding Assays ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Peptide Antagonist

Abstract Purpose While TIGIT has been propelled under the spotlight as a next-generation target in cancer immunotherapy, anti-TIGIT therapy seems to be promising for a fraction of patients in clinical trials. Therefore, patient stratification is critical for this therapy, which could benefit from a whole-body, non-invasive and quantitative evaluation of TIGIT expression in cancers. In this study, a 68Ga-labeled ᴅ-peptide antagonist, 68Ga-GP12, was developed and validated for PET imaging of TIGIT expression in vitro, in vivo, and first-in-human pilot study. Methods The ᴅ-enantiomer peptide antagonists were modified and radiolabeled with 68Ga. In vitro binding assays were performed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to assess their affinity and specificity. The imaging capacity, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and radiation dosimetry were investigated in vivo. Flow cytometry, autoradiography, and immunohistochemical staining were used to confirm the expression of TIGIT ex vivo. The safety and potential of 68Ga-GP12 for PET/CT imaging of TIGIT expression were further evaluated in a first-in-human pilot study with advanced NSCLC. Results 68Ga-labeled ᴅ-peptides were conveniently produced with high radiochemical yields,radiochemical purity and molar activities. In vitro binding assays demonstrated 68Ga-GP12 has favorable affinity and specificity for TIGIT with a KD of 37.28 nM. In vivo and ex vivo studies demonstrated the favorable pharmacokinetics of 68Ga-GP12 for PET imaging of TIGIT expression with high tumor uptake of 4.22 ± 0.68 %ID/g and the tumor-to-muscle ratio of 12.94 ± 2.64 at 60 min post-injection. The primary and metastatic lesions found in the first-in-human studies of 68Ga-GP12 PET/CT imaging were comparable to that in 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. Moreover, the inhomogenous intra-and-inter-tumoral uptake of 68Ga-GP12 was presented, reflecting the heterogeneity of TIGIT expression levels. Conclusion 68Ga-GP12 is a promising radiotracer for PET imaging of TIGIT expression in cancers, indicating its potential as a potential companion diagnostic for anti-TIGIT therapies.

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Increased [18F]FMISO accumulation under hypoxia by multidrug-resistant protein 1 inhibitors

EJNMMI Research ◽

10.1186/s13550-021-00752-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yoichi Shimizu ◽

Yukihiro Nakai ◽

Hiroyuki Watanabe ◽

Shimpei Iikuni ◽

Masahiro Ono ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cyclosporine A ◽

Pet Imaging ◽

Multidrug Resistant ◽

Ct Images ◽

Pet Scan ◽

Reduced Form ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Fadu Cells ◽

Hypoxic State

Abstract Background [18F]Fluoromisonidazole ([18F]FMISO) is a PET imaging probe widely used for the detection of hypoxia. We previously reported that [18F]FMISO is metabolized to the glutathione conjugate of the reduced form in hypoxic cells. In addition, we found that the [18F]FMISO uptake level varied depending on the cellular glutathione conjugation and excretion ability such as enzyme activity of glutathione-S-transferase and expression levels of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1, an efflux transporter), in addition to the cellular hypoxic state. In this study, we evaluated whether MRP1 activity affected [18F]FMISO PET imaging. Methods FaDu human pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells were pretreated with MRP1 inhibitors (cyclosporine A, lapatinib, or MK-571) for 1 h, incubated with [18F]FMISO for 4 h under hypoxia, and their radioactivity was then measured. FaDu tumor-bearing mice were intravenously injected with [18F]FMISO, and PET/CT images were acquired at 4 h post-injection (1st PET scan). Two days later, the same mice were pretreated with MRP1 inhibitors (cyclosporine A, lapatinib, or MK-571) for 1 h, and PET/CT images were acquired (2nd PET scan). Results FaDu cells pretreated with MRP1 inhibitors exhibited significantly higher radioactivity than those without inhibitor treatment (cyclosporine A: 6.91 ± 0.27, lapatinib: 10.03 ± 0.47, MK-571: 10.15 ± 0.44%dose/mg protein, p < 0.01). In the in vivo PET study, the SUVmean ratio in tumors [calculated as after treatment (2nd PET scan)/before treatment of MRP1 inhibitors (1st PET scan)] of the mice treated with MRP1 inhibitors was significantly higher than those of control mice (cyclosporine A: 2.6 ± 0.7, lapatinib: 2.2 ± 0.7, MK-571: 2.2 ± 0.7, control: 1.2 ± 0.2, p < 0.05). Conclusion In this study, we revealed that MRP1 inhibitors increase [18F]FMISO accumulation in hypoxic cells. This suggests that [18F]FMISO-PET imaging is affected by MRP1 inhibitors independent of the hypoxic state.

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Ultrasound-based sensors for respiratory motion assessment in multimodality PET imaging

Physics in Medicine and Biology ◽

10.1088/1361-6560/ac4213 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bruno Madore ◽

Gabriela Belsley ◽

Cheng-Chieh Cheng ◽

Frank Preiswerk ◽

Marie Foley Kijewski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pet Imaging ◽

Respiratory Gating ◽

Sensitive Information ◽

Internal Organs ◽

Respiration Monitoring ◽

Breathing Motion ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Motion Phantom ◽

Motion Assessment

Abstract Breathing motion can displace internal organs by up to several cm; as such, it is a primary factor limiting image quality in medical imaging. Motion can also complicate matters when trying to fuse images from different modalities, acquired at different locations and/or on different days. Currently available devices for monitoring breathing motion often do so indirectly, by detecting changes in the outline of the torso rather than the internal motion itself, and these devices are often fixed to floors, ceilings or walls, and thus cannot accompany patients from one location to another. We have developed small ultrasound-based sensors, referred to as ‘organ configuration motion’ (OCM) sensors, that attach to the skin and provide rich motion-sensitive information. In the present work we tested the ability of OCM sensors to enable respiratory gating during in vivo PET imaging. A motion phantom involving an FDG solution was assembled, and two cancer patients scheduled for a clinical PET/CT exam were recruited for this study. OCM signals were used to help reconstruct phantom and in vivo data into time series of motion-resolved images. As expected, the motion-resolved images captured the underlying motion. In Patient #1, a single large lesion proved to be mostly stationary through the breathing cycle. However, in Patient #2, several small lesions were mobile during breathing, and our proposed new approach captured their breathing-related displacements. In summary, a relatively inexpensive hardware solution was developed here for respiration monitoring. Because the proposed sensors attach to the skin, as opposed to walls or ceilings, they can accompany patients from one procedure to the next, potentially allowing data gathered in different places and at different times to be combined and compared in ways that account for breathing motion.

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Discordance between Histopathological grading and Dual Tracer PET-CT findings (68Ga-DOTATATE and FDG) in metastatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms and outcome of 177Lu-DOTATATE PRRT: does in-vivo molecular PET imaging perform better from ‘prediction of tumour biology’ viewpoint?

Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology ◽

10.2967/jnmt.121.261998 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jnmt.121.261998

Author(s):

Aadil Adnan ◽

Sandip Basu

Keyword(s):

Pet Imaging ◽

Neuroendocrine Neoplasms ◽

Ct Findings ◽

Tumour Biology ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Histopathological Grading ◽

Dual Tracer

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PET/CT Imaging of Head-and-Neck and Pancreatic Cancer in Humans by Targeting the "Cancer Integrin" αvβ6 with Ga-68-Trivehexin

10.21203/rs.3.rs-719213/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Neil Gerard Quigley ◽

Katja Steiger ◽

Sebastian Hoberück ◽

Norbert Czech ◽

Maximilian Alexander Zierke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pet Imaging ◽

Ct Imaging ◽

Binding Assays ◽

Cell Binding ◽

Integrin Αvβ6 ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Preclinical Pet ◽

Specific Uptake ◽

Αvβ6 Integrin ◽

Automated Labeling

Abstract PurposeTo develop a new probe for the αvβ6-integrin and assess its potential for PET imaging of carcinomas.MethodsGa-68-Trivehexin was synthesized by trimerization of an optimized αvβ6-integrin selective cyclicnonapeptide on the TRAP chelator core and automated labeling with Ga-68. The tracer wascharacterized by ELISA for activities towards integrin subtypes αvβ6, αvβ8, αvβ3, and α5β1, as well asby cell binding assays on H2009 (αvβ6-positive) and MDA-MB-231 (αvβ6-negative) cells. SCID micebearing subcutaneous xenografts of the same cell lines were used for dynamic (90 min) and static(75 min p.i.) μPET imaging, as well as for biodistribution (90 min p.i.). Structure-activity-relationshipswere established by comparison with the predecessor compound Ga-68-TRAP(AvB6)3. Ga-68-Trivehexin was tested for in-human PET/CT imaging of HNSCC, parotideal adenocarcinoma, andPDAC.ResultsGa-68-Trivehexin showed a high αvβ6-integrin affinity (IC50 = 0.033 nM), selectivity over othersubtypes (IC50-based factors: αvβ8, 188; αvβ3, 82; α5β1, 667), blockable uptake in H2009 cells, andnegligible uptake in MDA-MB-231 cells. Biodistribution and preclinical PET imaging confirmed a hightarget-specific uptake in tumor and a low non-specific uptake in other organs and tissues except theexcretory organs (kidneys and urinary bladder). Preclinical PET corresponded well to in-human results,showing high and persistent uptake in metastatic PDAC and HNSCC (SUVmax = 10–13) as well as inkidneys/urine. Ga-68-Trivehexin enabled PET/CT imaging of small PDAC metastases and showed highuptake in HNSCC but not in tumor-associated inflammation.ConclusionsGa-68-Trivehexin is a valuable probe for imaging of αvβ6-integrin expression in human cancers.

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A Novel Method to Study the in Vivo Trafficking and Homing of Adoptively Transferred NK Cells in Rhesus Macaques and Humans

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.659.659 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 659-659 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jan Davidson-Moncada ◽

Noriko Sato ◽

Robert F Hoyt ◽

Robert N Reger ◽

Marvin Thomas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nk Cells ◽

Adoptive Transfer ◽

Nk Cell ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Raji Cell ◽

K562 Cells ◽

Ct Imaging ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Hematological Cancers

Abstract Adoptive transfer of allogeneic or autologous natural killer (NK) cells is now being developed for therapy of both hematological and solid malignancies. The efficacy of NK immunotherapy to mediate anti-tumor effects will ultimately be dependent on their ability to traffic and home to the tumor microenvironment. Recent data suggest expanded NK cells are ineffective at homing to the bone marrow (BM) and lymph nodes (LN) where hematological malignancies reside. A variety of techniques to maintain and/or enforce expression of homing receptors in NK cells are now being explored in preclinical models to improve their localization to the BM and LN. Historically, xenogeneic human into mouse or mouse into mouse models have been utilized for preclinical development of adoptive NK transfer. These experiments often use fluorescent dye-labeled NK cells and require repeated invasive biopsies, which can be confounded by sampling error, or the requirement for post mortem analysis. Here we present a method to track in real time and in vivo adoptively infused zirconium-89 (89Zr) labelled NK cells by PET imaging. A rhesus macaque (RM) model was used for these preclinical experiments as RM and human NK cells have similar expansion kinetics, and have greater similarity than mice in their phenotype, function, and homing receptors and ligands. PBMCs collected from the PB of 13 RMs were enriched for NK cells by CD3+ T-cell depletion and were then expanded for 14 days by culturing with irradiated human EBV-LCL cells in X-VIVO 20 media containing 10% human AB serum and 500 IU/μl of human IL-2. RM NK cells expanded a mean 145±41 fold and contained >99% pure CD3- and CD56+ cells. The phenotype and tumor cytotoxicity of RM NK cells were similar to NK cells expanded from humans (n=3) using similar expansion cultures; at a 10:1 E:T ratio, 67% and 73% of K562 cells were lysed by RM and human NK cell respectively. To label NK cells, 89Zr was conjugated to oxine, which readily permeabilized the cellular membrane and was retained in the cells. Expanded NK cells from both humans and RM showed no changes in CD16 or CD56 expression for up to 6 days following radiolabeling. Human and RM NK cell viability 0 to 24 hours following radiolabelling was 60-100% then declined to 20-30% after 6 days. 89Zr retention by both human and RM NK cells was 75-80% in the first 24 hours of culture but gradually declined with time, decreasing to 20-30% after 7 days of culture. Culturing radiolabeled human NK cells for 24-36 hours with different cellular populations including Ramos and Raji cell lines and normal human PBMCs revealed no significant transfer of radioactivity (max 2% above baseline), establishing that 89Zr was not transferred from labeled to unlabeled cells. Oxine labeling did not alter the cytotoxicity of human or RM NK cells vs K562 cells compared to unlabeled controls. 89Zr-oxine labeling of expanded RM NK cells is currently being used to quantify NK cell trafficking and survival following adoptive transfer in autologous macaques. In these experiments, RM recipients of adoptively infused 89Zr labeled NK cells receive concurrent deferoxamine to chelate and then enhance renal excretion of any free 89Zr that is released from dead cells. In the experiments shown below, 13 x 107 autologous ex vivo expanded 89Zr-labeled RM NK cells were injected IV into a 5.7 kg RM and tracked by sequential PET/CT imaging for 7 days. Up to 1-hour post infusion, most NK cell activity was restricted to the lungs. By 4 hours, NK cells began to traffic from the lungs to the liver and spleen. By 2 days, NK cells were no longer detectable in the lungs and resided largely in the liver and spleen, where they remained for the remainder of the 7 day imaging period. During the entire observation period, little to no NK cell radioactivity was detected in the LN or BM. In conclusion, 89Zr oxine labelling of NK cells followed by PET/CT imaging represents a powerful tool to track the in vivo fate of adoptively transferred NK cells. The RM model presented here provides a method to evaluate and optimize various strategies aimed at altering the phenotype of NK cells, with the goal of improving their homing to the BM and LN where hematological cancers reside. These preclinical in vitro and in vivo data suggest this technology could be safely extended to humans and could be applied to other cellular populations besides NK cells. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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PET Imaging of [11C]MPC-6827, a Microtubule-Based Radiotracer in Non-Human Primate Brains

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25102289 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (10) ◽

pp. 2289

Author(s):

Naresh Damuka ◽

Paul Czoty ◽

Ashley Davis ◽

Michael Nader ◽

Susan Nader ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pet Imaging ◽

Neurological Disorders ◽

Healthy Male ◽

Time Activity ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Scan Data ◽

The Brain ◽

Human Primate

Dysregulation of microtubules is commonly associated with several psychiatric and neurological disorders, including addiction and Alzheimer’s disease. Imaging of microtubules in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) could provide valuable information on their role in the development of disease pathogenesis and aid in improving therapeutic regimens. We developed [11C]MPC-6827, the first brain-penetrating PET radiotracer to image microtubules in vivo in the mouse brain. The aim of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of [11C]MPC-6827 PET imaging in non-human primate brains. Two dynamic 0–120 min PET/CT imaging scans were performed in each of four healthy male cynomolgus monkeys approximately one week apart. Time activity curves (TACs) and standard uptake values (SUVs) were determined for whole brains and specific regions of the brains and compared between the “test” and “retest” data. [11C]MPC-6827 showed excellent brain uptake with good pharmacokinetics in non-human primate brains, with significant correlation between the test and retest scan data (r = 0.77, p = 0.023). These initial evaluations demonstrate the high translational potential of [11C]MPC-6827 to image microtubules in the brain in vivo in monkey models of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

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