Bimodal imaging probes for combined PET and OI: recent developments and future directions for hybrid agent development

Synthesis and Evaluation of 64Cu-DOTA-NT-Cy5.5 as a Dual-Modality PET/Fluorescence Probe to Image Neurotensin Receptor-Positive Tumor

Overexpression of neurotensin receptors (NTRs) has been suggested to play important roles in the growth and survival of a variety of tumor types. The aim of this study is to develop a dual-modality probe (64Cu -DOTA-NT-Cy5.5) for imaging NTR1 expression in vivo with both positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorescence. In this approach, the thiol group and N terminal amino group of neurotensin analogue (Cys-NT) were chemically modified with Cy5.5 dye and DOTA chelator, respectively. After radiolabeling with 64Cu, the resulting probe (64Cu-DOTA-NT-Cy5.5) was evaluated in NTR1 positive HT-29 tumor model. Small animal PET quantification analysis demonstrated that the tumor uptake was 1.91±0.22 and 1.79±0.16%ID/g at 1 and 4 h postinjection (p.i.), respectively. The tumor-to-muscle ratio was 17.44±3.25 at 4 h p.i. based on biodistribution. Receptor specificity was confirmed by the successful blocking experiment at 4 h p.i. (0.42±0.05%ID/g). In parallel with PET experiment, fluorescence imaging was also performed, which demonstrated prominent tumor uptake in HT-29 model. As a proof of concept, an imaging guided surgery was performed to the fluorescent moiety of this probe and could provide potential surgery guidance for NTR positive patients. In summary, our results clearly indicated that the dual-modality probe, 64Cu-DOTA-NT-Cy5.5, could serve as a promising agent to image NTR positive tumors in vivo.

Cysteine cathepsins: their role in tumor progression and recent trends in the development of imaging probes

Papain-like cysteine proteases bear an enormous potential as drug discovery targets for both infectious and systemic human diseases. The considerable progress in this field over the last two decades has also raised interest in the visualization of these enzymes in their native context, especially with regard to tumor imaging. After a short introduction to structure and general functions of human cysteine cathepsins, we highlight their importance for drug discovery and development and provide a critical update on the current state of knowledge toward their involvement in tumor progression, with a special emphasis on their role in therapy response. In accordance with a radiopharmaceutical point of view, the main focus of this review article will be the discussion of recently developed fluorescence and radiotracer-based imaging agents together with related molecular probes.

(68)Ga-labeled 3PRGD2 for dual PET and Cerenkov luminescence imaging of orthotopic human glioblastoma

β-Emitters can produce Cerenkov radiation that is detectable by Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI), allowing the combination of PET and CLI with one radiotracer for both tumor diagnosis and visual guidance during surgery. Recently, the clinical feasibility of CLI with the established therapeutic reagent Na(131)I and the PET tracer (18)F-FDG was demonstrated. (68)Ga possesses a higher Cerenkov light output than (18)F and (131)I, which would result in higher sensitivity for CLI and improve the outcome of CLI in clinical applications. However, the research on (68)Ga-based tumor-specific tracers for CLI is limited. In this study, we examined the use of (68)Ga-radiolabeled DOTA-3PRGD2 ((68)Ga-3PRGD2) for dual PET and CLI of orthotopic U87MG human glioblastoma. For this purpose, the Cerenkov efficiencies of (68)Ga and (18)F were measured with the IVIS Spectrum system (PerkinElmer, USA). The CLI signal intensity of (68)Ga was 15 times stronger than that of (18)F. PET and CLI of (68)Ga-3PRGD2 were performed in U87MG human glioblastoma xenografts. Both PET and CLI revealed a remarkable accumulation of (68)Ga-3PRGD2 in the U87MG human glioblastoma xenografts at 1 h p.i. with an extremely low background in the brain when compared with (18)F-FDG. Furthermore, (68)Ga-3PRGD2 was used for dual PET and CLI of orthotopic human glioblastoma. The orthotopic human glioblastoma was clearly visualized by both imaging modalities. In addition, the biodistribution of (68)Ga-3PRGD2 was assessed in normal mice to estimate the radiation dosimetry. The whole-body effective dose is 20.1 ± 3.3 μSv/MBq, which is equal to 3.7 mSv per whole-body PET scan with a 5 mCi injection dose. Thus, (68)Ga-3PRGD2 involves less radiation exposure in patients when compared with (18)F-FDG (7.0 mSv). The use of (68)Ga-3PRGD2 in dual PET and CLI shows great promise for tumor diagnosis and image-guided surgery.

Chemoenzymatic strategy for the synthesis of site-specifically labeled immunoconjugates for multimodal PET and optical imaging

The complementary nature of positron emission tomography (PET) and optical imaging (OI) has fueled increasing interest in the development of multimodal PET/OI probes that can be employed during the diagnosis, staging, and surgical treatment of cancer. Due to their high selectivity and affinity, antibodies have emerged as promising platforms for the development of hybrid PET/OI agents. However, the lack of specificity of many bioconjugation reactions can threaten immunoreactivity and lead to poorly defined constructs. To circumvent this issue, we have developed a chemoenzymatic strategy for the construction of multimodal PET/OI immunoconjugates that have been site-specifically labeled on the heavy chain glycans. The methodology consists of four steps: (1) the enzymatic removal of the terminal galactose residues on the heavy chain glycans; (2) the enzymatic incorporation of azide-bearing galactose (GalNAz) residues into the heavy chain glycans; (3) the strain-promoted click conjugation of chelator- and fluorophore-modified dibenzocyclooctynes to the azide-modified sugars; and (4) the radiolabeling of the immunoconjugate. For proof-of-concept, a model system was created using the colorectal cancer-targeting antibody huA33, the chelator desferrioxamine (DFO), the positron-emitting radiometal ⁸⁹Zr, and the near-infrared fluorescent dye Alexa Fluor 680. The bioconjugation strategy is robust and reproducible, reliably producing well-defined and immunoreactive conjugates labeled with ⁸⁹Zr, Alexa Fluor 680, or an easily and precisely tuned mixture of the two reporters. In in vivo PET and fluorescence imaging experiments, a hybrid ⁸⁹Zr- and Alexa Fluor 680-labeled huA33 conjugate displayed high levels of specific uptake (>45% ID/g) in athymic nude mice bearing A33 antigen-expressing SW1222 colorectal cancer xenografts.

Solid silica nanoparticles: applications in molecular imaging

Silica and silica-based nanoparticles have been widely used for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in cancer mainly through delivery of drugs, genes and contrast agents. Development of synthesis methods has provided the possibility of fabricating silica nanoparticles with different sizes in nanometer ranges as well as silica-based multimodal nanoparticles with many innovative properties and intriguing applications in biomedicine. The surface of silica particles facilitates different methods of surface modifications and allows conjugation of various biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. In this review, different methods of fabrication of silica and silica-based nanoparticles, their surface modification and the application of these nanoparticles in molecular imaging are discussed. Overall, the aim of this review is to address the development of silica and silica-based multifunctional nanoparticles that are introduced mainly for molecular imaging applications using optical, magnetic (MRI), X-ray (computed tomography) and multimodal imaging techniques.