NIH workshop on clinical translation of molecular imaging probes and technology--meeting report

Emergence and impact of theranostic-nanoformulation of triple therapeutics for combination cancer therapy

Cancer remains a major global health threat necessitating the multipronged approaches for its prevention and management. Traditional approaches in the form of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy are often encountered with poor patient outcomes evidenced by high mortality and morbidity, compelling the need for precision medicine for cancer patients to enable personalized and targeted cancer treatment. There has been an emergence of smart multimodal theranostic nanoformulation for triple combination cancer therapy in the last few years, which dramatically enhances the overall safety of the nanoformulation for in vivo and potential clinical applications with minimal toxicity. However, it is imperative to gain insight into the limitations of this system in terms of clinical translation, cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and multidisciplinary collaboration. This review paper aims to highlight and compare the impact of the recent theranostic nanoformulations of triple therapeutics in a single nanocarrier for effective management of cancer and provide a new dimension for diagnostic and treatment simultaneously.

Molecular Imaging of Monoamine Oxidase A Expression in Highly Aggressive Prostate Cancer: Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of Positron Emission Tomography Tracers

The role of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in the aggressiveness of prostate cancer (PCa) has been established in recent years. The molecular imaging of MAO-A expression could offer a noninvasive tool for the visualization and quantification of highly aggressive PCa. This study reports the synthesis and preclinical evaluation of 11C- and 18F-labeled MAO-A inhibitors as positron emission tomography (PET) tracers for proof-of-concept studies in animal models of PCa. Good manufacturing practice production and quality control of these radiotracers using an automated platform was achieved. PET imaging was performed in an LNCaP tumor model with high MAO-A expression. The tumor-to-muscle (T/M) uptake ratio of [11C]harmine (4.5 ± 0.5) was significantly higher than that for 2-[18F]fluoroethyl-harmol (2.3 ± 0.7) and [11C]clorgyline (2.0 ± 0.1). A comparable ex vivo biodistribution pattern in all radiotracers was observed. Furthermore, the tumor uptake of [11C]harmine showed a dramatic reduction (T/M = 1) in a PC3 tumor model with limited MAO-A expression, and radioactivity uptake in LNCaP tumors was blocked in the presence of nonradioactive harmine. Our findings suggest that [11C]harmine may serve as an attractive PET probe for the visualization of MAO-A expression in highly aggressive PCa. These radiotracers have the potential for clinical translation and may aid in the development of personalized therapeutic strategies for PCa patients.

The Development and Validation of Radiopharmaceuticals Targeting Bacterial Infection

The International Atomic Energy Agency organized a technical meeting at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, in 2022 that included 17 experts representing 12 countries, whose research spanned the development and use of radiolabeled agents for imaging infection. The meeting focused largely on bacterial pathogens. The group discussed and evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of several radiopharmaceuticals, as well as the science driving various imaging approaches. The main objective was to understand why few infection-targeted radiotracers are used in clinical practice despite the urgent need to better characterize bacterial infections. This article summarizes the resulting consensus, at least among the included scientists and countries, on the current status of radiopharmaceutical development for infection imaging. Also included are opinions and recommendations regarding current research standards in this area. This and future International Atomic Energy Agency-sponsored collaborations will advance the goal of providing the medical community with innovative, practical tools for the specific image-based diagnosis of infection.

Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Its Applications in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Ultrasound imaging is regarded as a highly sensitive imaging modality used in routine clinical examinations. Over the last several decades, ultrasound contrast agents have been widely applied in ultrasound molecular cancer imaging to improve the detection, characterization, and quantification of tumors. To date, a few new potential preclinical and clinical applications regarding ultrasound molecular cancer imaging are being investigated. This review presents an overview of the various kinds of ultrasound contrast agents employed in ultrasound molecular imaging and advanced imaging techniques using these contrast agents. Additionally, we discuss the recent enormous development of ultrasound contrast agents in the relevant preclinical and clinical applications, highlight the recent challenges which need to be overcome to accelerate the clinical translation, and discuss the future perspective of ultrasound molecular cancer imaging using various contrast agents. As a highly promising and valuable tumor-specific imaging technique, it is believed that ultrasound molecular imaging will pave an accurate and efficient way for cancer diagnosis.