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Ho Shon I, Hogg PJ. Imaging of cell death in malignancy: Targeting pathways or phenotypes? Nucl Med Biol 2023; 124-125:108380. [PMID: 37598518 DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2023.108380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Cell death is fundamental in health and disease and resisting cell death is a hallmark of cancer. Treatment of malignancy aims to cause cancer cell death, however current clinical imaging of treatment response does not specifically image cancer cell death but assesses this indirectly either by changes in tumor size (using x-ray computed tomography) or metabolic activity (using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography). The ability to directly image tumor cell death soon after commencement of therapy would enable personalised response adapted approaches to cancer treatment that is presently not possible with current imaging, which is in many circumstances neither sufficiently accurate nor timely. Several cell death pathways have now been identified and characterised that present multiple potential targets for imaging cell death including externalisation of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine, caspase activation and La autoantigen redistribution. However, targeting one specific cell death pathway carries the risk of not detecting cell death by other pathways and it is now understood that cancer treatment induces cell death by different and sometimes multiple pathways. An alternative approach is targeting the cell death phenotype that is "agnostic" of the death pathway. Cell death phenotypes that have been targeted for cell death imaging include loss of plasma membrane integrity and dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Targeting the cell death phenotype may have the advantage of being a more sensitive and generalisable approach to cancer cell death imaging. This review describes and summarises the approaches and radiopharmaceuticals investigated for imaging cell death by targeting cell death pathways or cell death phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Ho Shon
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia; School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney, Australia.
| | - Philip J Hogg
- The Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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2
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Zhong X, Yan J, Ding X, Su C, Xu Y, Yang M. Recent Advances in Bioorthogonal Click Chemistry for Enhanced PET and SPECT Radiochemistry. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:457-476. [PMID: 36811499 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Due to their high reaction rate and reliable selectivity, bioorthogonal click reactions have been extensively investigated in numerous research fields, such as nanotechnology, drug delivery, molecular imaging, and targeted therapy. Previous reviews on bioorthogonal click chemistry for radiochemistry mainly focus on 18F-labeling protocols employed to produce radiotracers and radiopharmaceuticals. In fact, besides fluorine-18, other radionuclides such as gallium-68, iodine-125, and technetium-99m are also used in the field of bioorthogonal click chemistry. Herein, to provide a more comprehensive perspective, we provide a summary of recent advances in radiotracers prepared using bioorthogonal click reactions, including small molecules, peptides, proteins, antibodies, and nucleic acids as well as nanoparticles based on these radionuclides. The combination of pretargeting with imaging modalities or nanoparticles, as well as the clinical translations study, are also discussed to illustrate the effects and potential of bioorthogonal click chemistry for radiopharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlin Zhong
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, P. R. China
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, P. R. China
| | - Junjie Yan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Ding
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, P. R. China
| | - Chen Su
- Wuxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214002, P. R. China
| | - Yuping Xu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, P. R. China
| | - Min Yang
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, P. R. China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, P. R. China
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, P. R. China
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3
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Ho Shon I, Hennessy T, Guille J, Gotsbacher MP, Lay AJ, McBride B, Codd R, Hogg PJ. A first-in-human study of [ 68Ga]Ga-CDI: a positron emitting radiopharmaceutical for imaging tumour cell death. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2022; 49:4037-4047. [PMID: 35779082 PMCID: PMC9525422 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-022-05880-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study assesses human biodistribution, radiation dosimetry, safety and tumour uptake of cell death indicator labelled with 68Ga ([68Ga]Ga-CDI), a novel radiopharmaceutical that can image multiple forms of cell death. METHODS Five participants with at least one extracranial site of solid malignancy > 2 cm and no active cancer treatment in the 8 weeks prior to the study were enrolled. Participants were administered 205 ± 4.1 MBq (range, 200-211 MBq) of [68Ga]Ga-CDI and 8 serial PET scans acquired: the first commencing immediately and the last 3 h later. Participants were monitored for clinical, laboratory and electrocardiographic side effects and adverse events. Urine and blood radioactivity was measured. Spherical volumes of interest were drawn over tumour, blood pool and organs to determine biodistribution and calculate dosimetry. In one participant, tumour specimens were analysed for cell death using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining. RESULTS [68Ga]Ga-CDI is safe and well-tolerated with no side effects or adverse events. [68Ga]Ga-CDI is renally excreted, demonstrates low levels of physiologic uptake in the other organs and has excellent imaging characteristics. The mean effective dose was 2.17E - 02 ± 4.61E - 03 mSv/MBq. It images constitutive tumour cell death and correlates with tumour cell death on histology. CONCLUSION [68Ga]Ga-CDI is a novel cell death imaging radiopharmaceutical that is safe, has low radiation dosimetry and excellent biodistribution and imaging characteristics. It has potential advantages over previously investigated radiopharmaceuticals for imaging of cell death and has progressed to a proof-of-concept trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION ACTRN12621000641897 (28/5/2021, retrospectively registered).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Ho Shon
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. .,The Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. .,Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Thomas Hennessy
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jennifer Guille
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Angelina J Lay
- The Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Bruce McBride
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rachel Codd
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Philip J Hogg
- The Centenary Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Qin X, Jiang H, Liu Y, Zhang H, Tian M. Radionuclide imaging of apoptosis for clinical application. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2022; 49:1345-1359. [PMID: 34873639 PMCID: PMC8921127 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-021-05641-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Apoptosis was a natural, non-inflammatory, energy-dependent form of programmed cell death (PCD) that can be discovered in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Based on its characteristic biochemical changes, a great number of apoptosis probes for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been developed. Radionuclide imaging with these tracers were potential for the repetitive and selective detection of apoptotic cell death in vivo, without the need for invasive biopsy. In this review, we overviewed molecular mechanism and specific biochemical changes in apoptotic cells and summarized the existing tracers that have been used in clinical trials as well as their potentialities and limitations. Particularly, we highlighted the clinic applications of apoptosis imaging as diagnostic markers, early-response indicators, and prognostic predictors in multiple disease fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyi Qin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Han Jiang
- PET-CT Center, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang, China.
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
- College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Mei Tian
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang, China.
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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Jouberton E, Schmitt S, Maisonial-Besset A, Chautard E, Penault-Llorca F, Cachin F. Interest and Limits of [18F]ML-10 PET Imaging for Early Detection of Response to Conventional Chemotherapy. Front Oncol 2021; 11:789769. [PMID: 34988022 PMCID: PMC8722713 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.789769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the current challenges in oncology is to develop imaging tools to early detect the response to conventional chemotherapy and adjust treatment strategies when necessary. Several studies evaluating PET imaging with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) as a predictive tool of therapeutic response highlighted its insufficient specificity and sensitivity. The [18F]FDG uptake reflects only tumor metabolic activity and not treatment-induced cell death, which seems to be relevant for therapeutic evaluation. Therefore, to evaluate this parameter in vivo, several cell death radiotracers have been developed in the last years. However, few of them have reached the clinical trials. This systematic review focuses on the use of [18F]ML-10 (2-(5-[18F]fluoropentyl)-2-methylmalonic acid) as radiotracer of apoptosis and especially as a measure of tumor response to treatment. A comprehensive literature review concerning the preclinical and clinical investigations conducted with [18F]ML-10 was performed. The abilities and applications of this radiotracer as well as its clinical relevance and limitations were discussed. Most studies highlighted a good ability of the radiotracer to target apoptotic cells. However, the increase in apoptosis during treatment did not correlate with the radiotracer tumoral uptake, even using more advanced image analysis (voxel-based analysis). [18F]ML-10 PET imaging does not meet current clinical expectations for early detection of the therapeutic response to conventional chemotherapy. This review has pointed out the challenges of applying various apoptosis imaging strategies in clinical trials, the current methodologies available for image analysis and the future of molecular imaging to assess this therapeutic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Jouberton
- Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Centre Jean PERRIN, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, UMR1240, Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- *Correspondence: Elodie Jouberton,
| | - Sébastien Schmitt
- Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, UMR1240, Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Aurélie Maisonial-Besset
- Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, UMR1240, Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Emmanuel Chautard
- Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, UMR1240, Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Service de Pathologie, Centre Jean PERRIN, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Frédérique Penault-Llorca
- Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, UMR1240, Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Service de Pathologie, Centre Jean PERRIN, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Florent Cachin
- Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Centre Jean PERRIN, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, UMR1240, Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Gammon ST, Engel BJ, Gores GJ, Cressman E, Piwnica-Worms D, Millward SW. Mistiming Death: Modeling the Time-Domain Variability of Tumor Apoptosis and Implications for Molecular Imaging of Cell Death. Mol Imaging Biol 2021; 22:1310-1323. [PMID: 32519246 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-020-01509-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Apoptosis, in the context of cancer, is a form of programmed cell death induced by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. As this is a central pathway in treatment response, considerable effort has been expended on the development of molecular imaging agents to non-invasively measure tumor apoptosis prior to quantitative changes in tumor dimensions. Despite these efforts, clinical trials directed at imaging apoptosis by PET, SPECT, and MRI have failed to robustly predict response to treatment with high sensitivity and specificity. Although these shortcomings may be linked to probe design, we propose that the combination of variability in the timing of maximal in vivo tumor apoptosis and sub-optimal sampling times fundamentally limits the predictive power of PET/SPECT apoptosis imaging. PROCEDURES Herein, we surveyed the literature describing the time course of therapy-induced tumor apoptosis in vivo and used these data to construct a mathematical model describing the onset, duration, amplitude, and variability of the apoptotic response. Uncertainty in the underlying time of initiation of tumor apoptosis was simulated by Gaussian, uniform, and Landau distributions centered at the median time-to-maximum apoptotic rate derived from the literature. We then computationally sampled these models for various durations to simulate PET/SPECT imaging agents with variable effective half-lives. RESULTS Models with a narrow Gaussian distribution of initiation times for tumor apoptosis predicted high contrast ratios and strong predictive values for all effective tracer half-lives. However, when uncertainty in apoptosis initiation times were simulated with uniform and Landau distributions, high contrast ratios and predictive values were only obtained with extremely long imaging windows (days). The imaging contrast ratios predicted in these models were consistent with those seen in pre-clinical apoptosis PET/SPECT imaging studies and suggest that uncertainty in the timing of tumor cell death plays a significant role in the maximal contrast obtainable. Moreover, when uncertainty in both apoptosis initiation and imaging start times were simulated, the predicted contrast ratios were dramatically reduced for all tracer half-lives. CONCLUSIONS These studies illustrate the effect of uncertainty of apoptosis initiation on the predictive power of PET/SPECT apoptosis imaging agents and suggest that long integration times are required to surmount uncertainty in the time domain of this biological process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth T Gammon
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Brian J Engel
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Erik Cressman
- Department of Interventional Radiology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - David Piwnica-Worms
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Steven W Millward
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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7
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Ordonez AA, Abhishek S, Singh AK, Klunk MH, Azad BB, Aboagye EO, Carroll L, Jain SK. Caspase-Based PET for Evaluating Pro-Apoptotic Treatments in a Tuberculosis Mouse Model. Mol Imaging Biol 2021; 22:1489-1494. [PMID: 32232626 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-020-01494-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite recent advances in antimicrobial treatments, tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health threat. Mycobacterium tuberculosis proliferates in macrophages, preventing apoptosis by inducing anti-apoptotic proteins leading to necrosis of the infected cells. Necrosis then leads to increased tissue destruction, reducing the penetration of antimicrobials and immune cells to the areas where they are needed most. Pro-apoptotic drugs could be used as host-directed therapies in TB to improve antimicrobial treatments and patient outcomes. PROCEDURE We evaluated [18F]-ICMT-11, a caspase-3/7-specific positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer, in macrophage cell cultures and in an animal model of pulmonary TB that closely resembles human disease. RESULTS Cells infected with M. tuberculosis and treated with cisplatin accumulated [18F]-ICMT-11 at significantly higher levels compared with that of controls, which correlated with levels of caspase-3/7 activity. Infected mice treated with cisplatin with increased caspase-3/7 activity also had a higher [18F]-ICMT-11 PET signal compared with that of untreated infected animals. CONCLUSIONS [18F]-ICMT-11 PET could be used as a noninvasive approach to measure intralesional pro-apoptotic responses in situ in pulmonary TB models and support the development of pro-apoptotic host-directed therapies for TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro A Ordonez
- Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sudhanshu Abhishek
- Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alok K Singh
- Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Mariah H Klunk
- Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Babak Benham Azad
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eric O Aboagye
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery & Cancer Hammersmith Campus, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Laurence Carroll
- Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Sanjay K Jain
- Center for Infection and Inflammation Imaging Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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8
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Yuan G, Liu S, Ma H, Su S, Wen F, Tang X, Zhang Z, Zhao J, Lin L, Xiang X, Nie D, Tang G. Targeting Phosphatidylethanolamine with Fluorine-18 Labeled Small Molecule Probe for Apoptosis Imaging. Mol Imaging Biol 2021; 22:914-923. [PMID: 31828718 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-019-01460-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Externalization of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in dying cells makes the phospholipid an attractive target for apoptosis imaging. However, no ideal PE-targeted positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer was developed. The goal of the study was to develop a novel PE-targeted radiopharmaceutical to imaging apoptosis. PROCEDURE In this study, we have radiolabeled PE-binding polypeptide duramycin with fluorine-18 for PET imaging of apoptosis. Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin was synthesized via chelation reaction of NOTA-PEG3-duramycin with Al[18F]F. PE-binding capacity of Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin was determined in a competitive radiometric PE-binding assay. The pharmacokinetic profile was evaluated in Kunming mice. The apoptosis imaging capacity of Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin was evaluated using in vitro cell uptake assay with camptothecin-treated Jurkat cells, along with in vivo PET imaging using erlotinib-treated nude mice. RESULTS The total synthesis procedure lasted for 30 min, with a decay-uncorrected radiochemical yield of 21.3 ± 2.6 % (n = 10). Compared with the control cells, the binding of Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin with camptothecin-induced apoptotic cells resulted in a tripling increase. A competitive radiometric PE-binding assay strongly confirmed the binding of Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin to PE. The biodistribution study showed rapid blood clearance, prominent kidney retention, and low liver uptake. In the in vivo PET/CT imaging, Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin demonstrated 2-fold increase in erlotinib-treated HCC827 tumors in nude mice. CONCLUSION Considering the facile preparation and improved biological properties, Al[18F]F-NOTA-PEG3-duramycin seems to be a promising PET tracer candidate for imaging apoptosis in the monitoring of cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongjun Yuan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Shaoyu Liu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hui Ma
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Shu Su
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Fuhua Wen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xiaolan Tang
- Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,School of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Zhanwen Zhang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Liping Lin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xianhong Xiang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Dahong Nie
- Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China. .,Department of Radiation Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Ganghua Tang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China. .,Guangdong Engineering Research center for Translational Application of Medical Radiopharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China. .,Nanfang PET Center and Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Allott L, Amgheib A, Barnes C, Braga M, Brickute D, Wang N, Fu R, Ghaem-Maghami S, Aboagye EO. Radiolabelling an 18F biologic via facile IEDDA "click" chemistry on the GE FASTLab™ platform. REACT CHEM ENG 2021; 6:1070-1078. [PMID: 34123410 PMCID: PMC8167423 DOI: 10.1039/d1re00117e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The use of biologics in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is an important area of radiopharmaceutical development and new automated methods are required to facilitate their production. We report an automated radiosynthesis method to produce a radiolabelled biologic via facile inverse electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) "click" chemistry on a single GE FASTLab™ cassette. We exemplified the method by producing a fluorine-18 radiolabelled interleukin-2 (IL2) radioconjugate from a trans-cyclooctene (TCO) modified IL2 precursor. The radioconjugate was produced using a fully automated radiosynthesis on a single FASTLab™ cassette in a decay-corrected radiochemical yield (RCY, d.c.) of 19.8 ± 2.6% in 110 min (from start of synthesis); the molar activity was 132.3 ± 14.6 GBq μmol-1. The in vitro uptake of [18F]TTCO-IL2 correlated with the differential receptor expression (CD25, CD122, CD132) in PC3, NK-92 and activated human PBMCs. The automated method may be adapted for the radiosynthesis of any TCO-modified protein via IEDDA chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Allott
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
- Positron Emission Tomography Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull Cottingham Road Kingston upon Hull HU6 7RX UK
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull Cottingham Road Kingston upon Hull HU6 7RX UK
| | - Ala Amgheib
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Chris Barnes
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Marta Braga
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Diana Brickute
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Ning Wang
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Ruisi Fu
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Sadaf Ghaem-Maghami
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Eric O Aboagye
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
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10
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Beroske L, Van den Wyngaert T, Stroobants S, Van der Veken P, Elvas F. Molecular Imaging of Apoptosis: The Case of Caspase-3 Radiotracers. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083948. [PMID: 33920463 PMCID: PMC8069194 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular imaging of apoptosis remains an important method for the diagnosis and monitoring of the progression of certain diseases and the evaluation of the efficacy of anticancer apoptosis-inducing therapies. Among the multiple biomarkers involved in apoptosis, activated caspase-3 is an attractive target, as it is the most abundant of the executioner caspases. Nuclear imaging is a good candidate, as it combines a high depth of tissue penetration and high sensitivity, features necessary to detect small changes in levels of apoptosis. However, designing a caspase-3 radiotracer comes with challenges, such as selectivity, cell permeability and transient caspase-3 activation. In this review, we discuss the different caspase-3 radiotracers for the imaging of apoptosis together with the challenges of the translation of various apoptosis-imaging strategies in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Beroske
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (L.B.); (T.V.d.W.); (S.S.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium;
| | - Tim Van den Wyngaert
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (L.B.); (T.V.d.W.); (S.S.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
| | - Sigrid Stroobants
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (L.B.); (T.V.d.W.); (S.S.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
| | - Pieter Van der Veken
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium;
| | - Filipe Elvas
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (L.B.); (T.V.d.W.); (S.S.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
- Correspondence:
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11
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[ 18F]-C-SNAT4: an improved caspase-3-sensitive nanoaggregation PET tracer for imaging of tumor responses to chemo- and immunotherapies. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021; 48:3386-3399. [PMID: 33712870 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-021-05297-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of apoptosis can noninvasively detect cell death in vivo and assist in monitoring tumor response to treatment in patients. While extensive efforts have been devoted to addressing this important need, no apoptosis PET imaging agents have yet been approved for clinical use. This study reports an improved 18F-labeled caspase-sensitive nanoaggregation tracer ([18F]-C-SNAT4) for PET imaging of tumor response to chemo- and immunotherapies in preclinical mouse models. METHODS We rationally designed and synthesized a new PET tracer [18F]-C-SNAT4 to detect cell death both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro radiotracer uptake studies were performed on drug-sensitive and -resistant NSCLC cell lines (NCI-H460 and NCI-H1299, respectively) treated with cisplatin at different doses. In vivo therapy response monitoring by [18F]-C-SNAT4 PET imaging was evaluated with two treatment modalities-chemotherapy and immunotherapy in two tumor xenografts in mice. Radiotracer uptake in the tumors was validated ex vivo using γ-counting and cleaved caspase-3 immunofluorescence. RESULTS This [18F]-C-SNAT4 PET tracer was facilely synthesized and displayed improved serum stability profiles. [18F]-C-SNAT4 cellular update was elevated in NCI-H460 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, which correlated well with cell death. A significant increase in [18F]-C-SNAT4 uptake was measured in NCI-H460 tumor xenografts in mice. In contrast, a rapid clearance of [18F]-C-SNAT4 was observed in drug-resistant NCI-H1299 in vitro and in tumor xenografts. Moreover, in BALB/C mice bearing murine colon cancer CT26 tumor xenografts receiving checkpoint inhibitors, [18F]-C-SNAT4 showed its ability for monitoring immunotherapy-induced apoptosis and reporting treatment-responding mice from non-responding. CONCLUSION The uptake of [18F]-C-SNAT4 in tumors received chemotherapy and immunotherapy is positively correlated with the tumor apoptotic level and the treatment efficacy. [18F]-C-SNAT4 PET imaging can monitor tumor response to two different treatment modalities and predict the therapeutic efficacy in preclinical mouse models.
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12
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Van de Wiele C, Ustmert S, De Spiegeleer B, De Jonghe PJ, Sathekge M, Alex M. Apoptosis Imaging in Oncology by Means of Positron Emission Tomography: A Review. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052753. [PMID: 33803180 PMCID: PMC7963162 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, a wide variety of potential PET-apoptosis imaging radiopharmaceuticals targeting apoptosis-induced cell membrane asymmetry and acidification, as well as caspase 3 activation (substrates and inhibitors) have been developed with the purpose of rapidly assessing the response to treatment in cancer patients. Many of these probes were shown to specifically bind to their apoptotic target in vitro and their uptake to be enhanced in the in vivo-xenografted tumours in mice treated by means of chemotherapy, however, to a significantly variable degree. This may, in part, relate to the tumour model used given the fact that different tumour cell lines bear a different sensitivity to a similar chemotherapeutic agent, to differences in the chemotherapeutic concentration and exposure time, as well as to the different timing of imaging performed post-treatment. The best validated cell membrane acidification and caspase 3 targeting radioligands, respectively 18F-ML-10 from the Aposense family and the radiolabelled caspase 3 substrate 18F-CP18, have also been injected in healthy individuals and shown to bear favourable dosimetric and safety characteristics. However, in contrast to, for instance, the 99mTc-HYNIC-Annexin V, neither of both tracers was taken up to a significant degree by the bone marrow in the healthy individuals under study. Removal of white and red blood cells from the bone marrow through apoptosis plays a major role in the maintenance of hematopoietic cell homeostasis. The major apoptotic population in normal bone marrow are immature erythroblasts. While an accurate estimate of the number of immature erythroblasts undergoing apoptosis is not feasible due to their unknown clearance rate, their number is likely substantial given the ineffective quote of the erythropoietic process described in healthy subjects. Thus, the clinical value of both 18F-ML-10 and 18F-CP18 for apoptosis imaging in cancer patients, as suggested by a small number of subsequent clinical phase I/II trials in patients suffering from primary or secondary brain malignancies using 18F-ML-10 and in an ongoing trial in patients suffering from cancer of the ovaries using 18F-CP18, remains to be proven and warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Van de Wiele
- Department of Nuclear Medicine AZ Groeninge, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; (S.U.); (P.-J.D.J.); (M.A.)
- Department of Diagnostic Sciences, University Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-5663-4120
| | - Sezgin Ustmert
- Department of Nuclear Medicine AZ Groeninge, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; (S.U.); (P.-J.D.J.); (M.A.)
| | - Bart De Spiegeleer
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, DRUQUAR, University Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Pieter-Jan De Jonghe
- Department of Nuclear Medicine AZ Groeninge, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; (S.U.); (P.-J.D.J.); (M.A.)
| | - Mike Sathekge
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South Africa;
| | - Maes Alex
- Department of Nuclear Medicine AZ Groeninge, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; (S.U.); (P.-J.D.J.); (M.A.)
- Department of Morphology and Imaging, University Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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13
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García-Argüello SF, Lopez-Lorenzo B, Cornelissen B, Smith G. Development of [ 18F]ICMT-11 for Imaging Caspase-3/7 Activity during Therapy-Induced Apoptosis. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2191. [PMID: 32781531 PMCID: PMC7465189 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Insufficient apoptosis is a recognised hallmark of cancer. A strategy to quantitatively measure apoptosis in vivo would be of immense value in both drug discovery and routine patient management. The first irreversible step in the apoptosis cascade is activation of the "executioner" caspase-3 enzyme to commence cleavage of key structural proteins. One strategy to measure caspase-3 activity is Positron Emission Tomography using isatin-5-sulfonamide radiotracers. One such radiotracer is [18F]ICMT-11, which has progressed to clinical application. This review summarises the design and development process for [18F]ICMT-11, suggesting potential avenues for further innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Segundo Francisco García-Argüello
- Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Sanitarias, Fundación General Universidad de Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain;
- Grupo de Arteriosclerosis, Prevención Cardiovascular y Metabolismo, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Beatriz Lopez-Lorenzo
- Biomedicina, Investigación Traslacional y Nuevas Tecnologías en Salud, Universidad de Málaga, 29016 Málaga, Spain;
- BIONAND-Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Junta de Andalucía—Universidad de Málaga), 29590 Málaga, Spain
| | - Bart Cornelissen
- Department of Oncology, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK;
| | - Graham Smith
- Department of Oncology, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Off Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK;
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14
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Mosayebnia M, Hajiramezanali M, Shahhosseini S. Radiolabeled Peptides for Molecular Imaging of Apoptosis. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:7064-7089. [PMID: 32532184 DOI: 10.2174/0929867327666200612152655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis is a regulated cell death induced by extrinsic and intrinsic stimulants. Tracking of apoptosis provides an opportunity for the assessment of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases as well as monitoring of cancer therapy at early stages. There are some key mediators in apoptosis cascade, which could be considered as specific targets for delivering imaging or therapeutic agents. The targeted radioisotope-based imaging agents are able to sensitively detect the physiological signal pathways which make them suitable for apoptosis imaging at a single-cell level. Radiopeptides take advantage of both the high sensitivity of nuclear imaging modalities and favorable features of peptide scaffolds. The aim of this study is to review the characteristics of those radiopeptides targeting apoptosis with different mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Mosayebnia
- Department of Radiopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maliheh Hajiramezanali
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Radiopharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Behesti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Soraya Shahhosseini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Radiopharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Behesti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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15
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Allott L, Aboagye EO. Chemistry Considerations for the Clinical Translation of Oncology PET Radiopharmaceuticals. Mol Pharm 2020; 17:2245-2259. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Louis Allott
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Eric O. Aboagye
- Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
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16
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Zhang D, Jin Q, Jiang C, Gao M, Ni Y, Zhang J. Imaging Cell Death: Focus on Early Evaluation of Tumor Response to Therapy. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:1025-1051. [PMID: 32150392 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cell death plays a prominent role in the treatment of cancer, because most anticancer therapies act by the induction of cell death including apoptosis, necrosis, and other pathways of cell death. Imaging cell death helps to identify treatment responders from nonresponders and thus enables patient-tailored therapy, which will increase the likelihood of treatment response and ultimately lead to improved patient survival. By taking advantage of molecular probes that specifically target the biomarkers/biochemical processes of cell death, cell death imaging can be successfully achieved. In recent years, with the increased understanding of the molecular mechanism of cell death, a variety of well-defined biomarkers/biochemical processes of cell death have been identified. By targeting these established cell death biomarkers/biochemical processes, a set of molecular imaging probes have been developed and evaluated for early monitoring treatment response in tumors. In this review, we mainly present the recent advances in identifying useful biomarkers/biochemical processes for both apoptosis and necrosis imaging and in developing molecular imaging probes targeting these biomarkers/biochemical processes, with a focus on their application in early evaluation of tumor response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongjian Zhang
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China.,Laboratories of Translational Medicine, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China
| | - Qiaomei Jin
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China.,Laboratories of Translational Medicine, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China
| | - Cuihua Jiang
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China.,Laboratories of Translational Medicine, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China
| | - Meng Gao
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China.,Laboratories of Translational Medicine, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China
| | - Yicheng Ni
- Theragnostic Laboratory, Campus Gasthuisberg, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Jian Zhang
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China.,Laboratories of Translational Medicine, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, P.R. China
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17
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Elvas F, Vanden Berghe T, Adriaenssens Y, Vandenabeele P, Augustyns K, Staelens S, Stroobants S, Van der Veken P, Wyffels L. Caspase-3 probes for PET imaging of apoptotic tumor response to anticancer therapy. Org Biomol Chem 2020; 17:4801-4824. [PMID: 31033991 DOI: 10.1039/c9ob00657e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis is a highly regulated process involved in the normal organism development and homeostasis. In the context of anticancer therapy, apoptosis is also studied intensively in an attempt to induce cell death in cancer cells. Caspase activation is a known key event in the apoptotic process. In particular, active caspase-3 and -7 are the common effectors in several apoptotic pathways, therefore effector caspase activation may be a promising biomarker for response evaluation to anticancer therapy. Quantitative imaging of apoptosis in vivo could provide early assessment of therapeutic effectiveness and could also be used in drug development to evaluate the efficacy as well as potential toxicity of novel treatments. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a highly sensitive molecular imaging modality that allows non-invasive in vivo imaging of biological processes such as apoptosis by using radiolabeled probes. Here we describe the development and evaluation of fluorine-18-labeled caspase-3 activity-based probes (ABPs) for PET imaging of apoptosis. ABPs were selected by screening of a small library of fluorine-19-labeled DEVD peptides containing different electrophilic warhead groups. An acyloxymethyl ketone was identified with low nanomolar affinity for caspase-3 and was radiolabeled with fluorine-18. The resulting radiotracer, [18F]MICA-302, showed good labeling of active caspase-3 in vitro and favorable pharmacokinetic properties. A μPET imaging experiment in colorectal tumor xenografts demonstrated an increased tumor accumulation of [18F]MICA-302 in drug-treated versus control animals. Therefore, our data suggest this radiotracer may be useful for clinical PET imaging of response to anticancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Elvas
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
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18
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Ho Shon I, Kumar D, Sathiakumar C, Berghofer P, Van K, Chicco A, Hogg PJ. Biodistribution and imaging of an hsp90 ligand labelled with 111In and 67Ga for imaging of cell death. EJNMMI Res 2020; 10:4. [PMID: 31960173 PMCID: PMC6971215 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-020-0590-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background 4-(N-(S-glutathionylacetyl)amino) phenylarsonous acid (GSAO) when conjugated at the γ-glutamyl residue with fluorophores and radio-isotopes is able to image dead and dying cells in vitro and in vivo by binding to intracellular 90-kDa heat shock proteins (hsp90) when cell membrane integrity is compromised. The ability to image cell death has potential clinical impact especially for early treatment response assessment in oncology. This work aims to assess the biodistribution and tumour uptake of diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid GSAO labelled with 111In ([111In]In-DTPA-GSAO) and 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid GSAO labelled with 67Ga ([67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO) in a murine subcutaneous tumour xenograft model and estimate dosimetry of [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO. Results There was good tumour uptake of both [111In]In-DTPA-GSAO and [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO (2.44 ± 0.26% injected activity per gramme of tissue (%IA/g) and 2.75 ± 0.34 %IA/g, respectively) in Balb c nu/nu mice bearing subcutaneous tumour xenografts of a human metastatic prostate cancer cell line (PC3M-luc-c6). Peak tumour uptake occurred at 2.7 h post injection. [111In]In-DTPA-GSAO and [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO demonstrated increased uptake in the liver (4.40 ± 0.86 %IA/g and 1.72 ± 0.27 %IA/g, respectively), kidneys (16.54 ± 3.86 %IA/g and 8.16 ± 1.33 %IA/g) and spleen (6.44 ± 1.24 %IA/g and 1.85 ± 0.44 %IA/g); however, uptake in these organs was significantly lower with [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO (p = 0.006, p = 0.017 and p = 0.003, respectively). Uptake of [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO into tumour was higher than all organs except the kidneys. There was negligible uptake in the other organs. Excretion of [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO was more rapid than [111In]In-DTPA-GSAO. Estimated effective dose of [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO for an adult male human was 1.54 × 10− 2 mSv/MBq. Conclusions [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO demonstrates higher specific uptake in dead and dying cells within tumours and lower uptake in normal organs than [111In]In-DTPA-GSAO. [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO may be potentially useful for imaging cell death in vivo. Dosimetry estimates for [67Ga]Ga-DOTA-GSAO are acceptable for future human studies. This work also prepares for development of 68Ga GSAO radiopharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Ho Shon
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, 2031, NSW, Australia. .,The Centenary Institute, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. .,Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia.
| | - Divesh Kumar
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, 6150, WA, Australia
| | | | - Paula Berghofer
- LifeSciences Division, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2234, Australia
| | - Khang Van
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, 2170, Australia
| | - Andrew Chicco
- Department of Medical Physics, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Philip J Hogg
- The Centenary Institute, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
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19
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Glaser M, Rajkumar V, Diocou S, Gendron T, Yan R, Sin PKB, Sander K, Carroll L, Pedley RB, Aboagye EO, Witney TH, Årstad E. One-Pot Radiosynthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Caspase-3 Selective 5-[ 123,125I]iodo-1,2,3-triazole derived Isatin SPECT Tracer. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19299. [PMID: 31848442 PMCID: PMC6917698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55992-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Induction of apoptosis is often necessary for successful cancer therapy, and the non-invasive monitoring of apoptosis post-therapy could assist in clinical decision making. Isatins are a class of compounds that target activated caspase-3 during apoptosis. Here we report the synthesis of the 5-iodo-1,2,3-triazole (FITI) analog of the PET tracer [18F]ICMT11 as a candidate tracer for imaging of apoptosis with SPECT, as well as PET. Labelling with radioiodine (123,125I) was achieved in 55 ± 12% radiochemical yield through a chelator-accelerated one-pot cycloaddition reaction mediated by copper(I) catalysis. The caspase-3 binding affinity and selectivity of FITI compares favourably to that of [18F]ICMT11 (Ki = 6.1 ± 0.9 nM and 12.4 ± 4.7 nM, respectively). In biodistribution studies, etoposide-induced cell death in a SW1222 xenograft model resulted in a 2-fold increase in tumour uptake of the tracer. However, the tumour uptake was too low to allow in vivo imaging of apoptosis with SPECT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Glaser
- Centre for Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, University College London, 5 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BS, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Seckou Diocou
- UCL, Cancer Institute, 72 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Thibault Gendron
- Centre for Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, University College London, 5 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BS, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Ran Yan
- King's College London, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, St. Thomas' Hospital, SE1 7EH, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pak Kwan Brian Sin
- Centre for Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, University College London, 5 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BS, United Kingdom
| | - Kerstin Sander
- Centre for Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, University College London, 5 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BS, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Laurence Carroll
- Imperial College London, Science, Technology & Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, DuCane Road, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eric O Aboagye
- Imperial College London, Science, Technology & Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, DuCane Road, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy H Witney
- King's College London, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, St. Thomas' Hospital, SE1 7EH, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Erik Årstad
- Centre for Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, University College London, 5 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BS, United Kingdom.
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom.
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20
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Qiu L, Wang W, Li K, Peng Y, Lv G, Liu Q, Gao F, Seimbille Y, Xie M, Lin J. Rational design of caspase-responsive smart molecular probe for positron emission tomography imaging of drug-induced apoptosis. Theranostics 2019; 9:6962-6975. [PMID: 31660080 PMCID: PMC6815954 DOI: 10.7150/thno.35084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of apoptosis is very important for early evaluation of tumor therapeutic efficacy. A stimuli-responsive probe based on the peptide sequence Asp-Glu-Val-Asp (DEVD), [18F]DEVD-Cys(StBu)-PPG(CBT)-AmBF3 ([18F]1), for PET imaging of tumor apoptosis was designed and prepared. This study aimed to develop a novel smart probe using a convenient radiosynthesis method and to fully examine the sensitivity and specificity of the probe response to the tumor treatment. Methods: The radiolabelling precursor DEVD-Cys(StBu)-PPG(CBT)-AmBF3 (1) was synthesized through multistep reactions. The reduction together with caspase-controlled macrocyclization and self-assembly of 1 was characterized and validated in vitro. After [18F]fluorination in the buffer (pH= 2.5), the radiolabelling yield (RLY), radiochemical purity (RCP) and stability of the probe [18F]1 in PBS and mouse serum were investigated by radio-HPLC. The sensitivity and specificity of [18F]1 for detecting the drug-induced apoptosis was fully evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The effect of cold precursor 1 on the cell uptake and tumor imaging of [18F]1 was also assessed. The level of activated caspase-3 in Hela cells and tumors with or without apoptosis induction was analyzed and compared by western blotting and histological staining. Results: The whole radiosynthesis process of [18F]1 was around 25 min with RLY of 50%, RCP of over 99% and specific activity of 1.45 ± 0.4 Ci/µmol. The probe was very stable in both PBS and mouse serum within 4 h. It can be activated by caspase-3 and then undergo an intermolecular cyclization to form nanosized particles. The retained [18F]1 in DOX-treated HeLa cells was 2.2 folds of that in untreated cells. Within 1 h microPET imaging of the untreated Hela-bearing mice, the injection of [18F]1 resulted in the increase of the uptake ratio of tumor to muscle (T/M) only from 1.74 to 2.18, while in the DOX-treated Hela-bearing mice T/M increased from 1.88 to 10.52 and the co-injection of [18F]1 and 1 even led to the increase of T/M from 3.08 to 14.81. Conclusions: A caspase-responsive smart PET probe [18F]1 was designed and prepared in a kit-like manner. Co-injection of [18F]1 and 1 generated remarkably enhanced tumor uptake and signal-to-noise ratio in the tumor-bearing mice with drug-induced apoptosis, which correlated well with the expression level of activated caspase-3. This early readout of treatment response ensured that the probe [18F]1 could serve as a promising PET imaging probe for timely and noninvasive evaluation of tumor therapy.
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The Continuing Evolution of Molecular Functional Imaging in Clinical Oncology: The Road to Precision Medicine and Radiogenomics (Part I). Mol Diagn Ther 2019; 23:1-26. [PMID: 30411216 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-018-0366-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The present era of precision medicine sees 'cancer' as a consequence of molecular derangements occurring at the commencement of the disease process, with morphologic changes happening much later in the process of tumorigenesis. Conventional imaging techniques, such as computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), play an integral role in the detection of disease at a macroscopic level. However, molecular functional imaging (MFI) techniques entail the visualisation and quantification of biochemical and physiological processes occurring during tumorigenesis, and thus has the potential to play a key role in heralding the transition from the concept of 'one size fits all' to 'precision medicine'. Integration of MFI with other fields of tumour biology such as genomics has spawned a novel concept called 'radiogenomics', which could serve as an indispensable tool in translational cancer research. With recent advances in medical image processing, such as texture analysis, deep learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), the future seems promising; however, their clinical utility remains unproven at present. Despite the emergence of novel imaging biomarkers, a majority of these require validation before clinical translation is possible. In this two-part review, we discuss the systematic collaboration across structural, anatomical, and molecular imaging techniques that constitute MFI. Part I reviews positron emission tomography, radiogenomics, AI, and optical imaging, while part II reviews MRI, CT and ultrasound, their current status, and recent advances in the field of precision oncology.
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Vassileva V, Stribbling SM, Barnes C, Carroll L, Braga M, Abrahams J, Heinzmann K, Haegeman C, MacFarlane M, Simpson KL, Dive C, Honeychurch J, Illidge TM, Aboagye EO. Evaluation of apoptosis imaging biomarkers in a genetic model of cell death. EJNMMI Res 2019; 9:18. [PMID: 30783791 PMCID: PMC6381199 DOI: 10.1186/s13550-019-0487-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We have previously developed the caspase-based radiotracer, 18F-ICMT-11, for PET imaging to monitor treatment response. We further validated 18F-ICMT-11 specificity in a murine melanoma death-switch tumour model with conditional activation of caspase-3 induced by doxycycline. METHODS Caspase-3/7 activity and cellular uptake of 18F-ICMT-11, 18F-ML-10 and 18F-FDG were assessed in B16ova and B16ovaRevC3 cells after death-switch induction. Death-switch induction was confirmed in vivo in xenograft tumours, and 18F-ICMT-11 and 18F-ML-10 biodistribution was assessed by ex vivo gamma counting of select tissues. PET imaging was performed with 18F-ICMT-11, 18F-ML-10 and 18F-FDG. Caspase-3 activation was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Significantly increased caspase-3/7 activity was observed only in B16ovaRevC3 cells after death-switch induction, accompanied by significantly increased 18F-ICMT-11 (p < 0.001) and 18F-ML-10 (p < 0.05) and decreased 18F-FDG (p < 0.001) uptake compared with controls. B16ova and B16ovaRevC3 tumours had similar growth in vivo; however, B16ovaRevC3 growth was significantly reduced with death-switch induction (p < 0.01). Biodistribution studies showed significantly increased 18F-ICMT-11 tumour uptake following death-switch induction (p < 0.01), but not for 18F-ML-10. Tumour uptake of 18F-ICMT-11 was higher than that of 18F-ML-10 after death-switch induction. PET imaging studies showed that 18F-ICMT-11 can be used to detect apoptosis after death-switch induction, which was accompanied by significantly increased expression of cleaved caspase-3. 18F-FDG signal decreased in tumours after death-switch induction. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that 18F-ICMT-11 can be used to detect caspase-3 activation in a death-switch tumour model, independent of the confounding effects of cancer therapeutics, thus confirming its specificity and supporting the development of this radiotracer for clinical use to monitor tumour apoptosis and therapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vessela Vassileva
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Stephen M. Stribbling
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Chris Barnes
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Laurence Carroll
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Marta Braga
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Joel Abrahams
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Kathrin Heinzmann
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Caroline Haegeman
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
| | - Marion MacFarlane
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 9HN UK
| | - Kathryn L. Simpson
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG UK
| | - Caroline Dive
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, SK10 4TG UK
| | - Jamie Honeychurch
- Targeted Therapy Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Timothy M. Illidge
- Targeted Therapy Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Eric O. Aboagye
- Cancer Imaging Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN UK
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Ostapchenko VG, Snir J, Suchy M, Fan J, Cobb MR, Chronik BA, Kovacs M, Prado VF, Hudson RHE, Pasternak SH, Prado MAM, Bartha R. Detection of Active Caspase-3 in Mouse Models of Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease with a Novel Dual Positron Emission Tomography/Fluorescent Tracer [ 68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA. CONTRAST MEDIA & MOLECULAR IMAGING 2019; 2019:6403274. [PMID: 30755766 PMCID: PMC6348924 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6403274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Apoptosis is a feature of stroke and Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet there is no accepted method to detect or follow apoptosis in the brain in vivo. We developed a bifunctional tracer [68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA containing a cell-penetrating peptide separated from fluorescent Oregon Green and 68Ga-bound labels by the caspase-3 recognition peptide DEVD. We hypothesized that this design would allow [68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA to accumulate in apoptotic cells. In vitro, Ga-TC3-OGDOTA labeled apoptotic neurons following exposure to camptothecin, oxygen-glucose deprivation, and β-amyloid oligomers. In vivo, PET showed accumulation of [68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA in the brain of mouse models of stroke or AD. Optical clearing revealed colocalization of [68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA and cleaved caspase-3 in brain cells. In stroke, [68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA accumulated in neurons in the penumbra area, whereas in AD mice [68Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA was found in single cells in the forebrain and diffusely around amyloid plaques. In summary, this bifunctional tracer is selectively associated with apoptotic cells in vitro and in vivo in brain disease models and represents a novel tool for apoptosis detection that can be used in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeriy G. Ostapchenko
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Jonatan Snir
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Mojmir Suchy
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Jue Fan
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - M. Rebecca Cobb
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Neuroscience Program, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Blaine A. Chronik
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Michael Kovacs
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Lawson Health Research Institute, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 4V2
| | - Vania F. Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Robert H. E. Hudson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Stephen H. Pasternak
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Marco A. M. Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Robert Bartha
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
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24
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Dubash SR, Merchant S, Heinzmann K, Mauri F, Lavdas I, Inglese M, Kozlowski K, Rama N, Masrour N, Steel JF, Thornton A, Lim AK, Lewanski C, Cleator S, Coombes RC, Kenny L, Aboagye EO. Clinical translation of [ 18F]ICMT-11 for measuring chemotherapy-induced caspase 3/7 activation in breast and lung cancer. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2018; 45:2285-2299. [PMID: 30259091 PMCID: PMC6208806 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-018-4098-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effective anticancer therapy is thought to involve induction of tumour cell death through apoptosis and/or necrosis. [18F]ICMT-11, an isatin sulfonamide caspase-3/7-specific radiotracer, has been developed for PET imaging and shown to have favourable dosimetry, safety, and biodistribution. We report the translation of [18F]ICMT-11 PET to measure chemotherapy-induced caspase-3/7 activation in breast and lung cancer patients receiving first-line therapy. RESULTS Breast tumour SUVmax of [18F]ICMT-11 was low at baseline and unchanged following therapy. Measurement of M30/M60 cytokeratin-18 cleavage products showed that therapy was predominantly not apoptosis in nature. While increases in caspase-3 staining on breast histology were seen, post-treatment caspase-3 positivity values were only approximately 1%; this low level of caspase-3 could have limited sensitive detection by [18F]ICMT-11-PET. Fourteen out of 15 breast cancer patients responded to first-line chemotherapy (complete or partial response); one patient had stable disease. Four patients showed increases in regions of high tumour [18F]ICMT-11 intensity on voxel-wise analysis of tumour data (classed as PADS); response was not exclusive to patients with this phenotype. In patients with lung cancer, multi-parametric [18F]ICMT-11 PET and MRI (diffusion-weighted- and dynamic contrast enhanced-MRI) showed that PET changes were concordant with cell death in the absence of significant perfusion changes. CONCLUSION This study highlights the potential use of [18F]ICMT-11 PET as a promising candidate for non-invasive imaging of caspase3/7 activation, and the difficulties encountered in assessing early-treatment responses. We summarize that tumour response could occur in the absence of predominant chemotherapy-induced caspase-3/7 activation measured non-invasively across entire tumour lesions in patients with breast and lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R Dubash
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - S Merchant
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - K Heinzmann
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - F Mauri
- Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - I Lavdas
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - M Inglese
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy
| | - K Kozlowski
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - N Rama
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - N Masrour
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - J F Steel
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - A Thornton
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK
| | - A K Lim
- Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - C Lewanski
- Department of Oncology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - S Cleator
- Department of Oncology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - R C Coombes
- Department of Oncology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Laura Kenny
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK.
- Department of Oncology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
| | - Eric O Aboagye
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Rd, London, W120NN, UK.
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25
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Rybczynska AA, Boersma HH, de Jong S, Gietema JA, Noordzij W, Dierckx RAJO, Elsinga PH, van Waarde A. Avenues to molecular imaging of dying cells: Focus on cancer. Med Res Rev 2018. [PMID: 29528513 PMCID: PMC6220832 DOI: 10.1002/med.21495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Successful treatment of cancer patients requires balancing of the dose, timing, and type of therapeutic regimen. Detection of increased cell death may serve as a predictor of the eventual therapeutic success. Imaging of cell death may thus lead to early identification of treatment responders and nonresponders, and to “patient‐tailored therapy.” Cell death in organs and tissues of the human body can be visualized, using positron emission tomography or single‐photon emission computed tomography, although unsolved problems remain concerning target selection, tracer pharmacokinetics, target‐to‐nontarget ratio, and spatial and temporal resolution of the scans. Phosphatidylserine exposure by dying cells has been the most extensively studied imaging target. However, visualization of this process with radiolabeled Annexin A5 has not become routine in the clinical setting. Classification of death modes is no longer based only on cell morphology but also on biochemistry, and apoptosis is no longer found to be the preponderant mechanism of cell death after antitumor therapy, as was earlier believed. These conceptual changes have affected radiochemical efforts. Novel probes targeting changes in membrane permeability, cytoplasmic pH, mitochondrial membrane potential, or caspase activation have recently been explored. In this review, we discuss molecular changes in tumors which can be targeted to visualize cell death and we propose promising biomarkers for future exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna A Rybczynska
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.,Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hendrikus H Boersma
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacology, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Steven de Jong
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jourik A Gietema
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Walter Noordzij
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Rudi A J O Dierckx
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Philip H Elsinga
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Aren van Waarde
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Shekhar A, Heeger P, Reutelingsperger C, Arbustini E, Narula N, Hofstra L, Bax JJ, Narula J. Targeted Imaging for Cell Death in Cardiovascular Disorders. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2018; 11:476-493. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 11/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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27
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Wu JC, Qin X, Neofytou E. Radiolabeled Duramycin: Promising Translational Imaging of Myocardial Apoptosis. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2018; 11:1834-1836. [PMID: 29454760 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
| | - Xulei Qin
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Evgenios Neofytou
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
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Palmieri L, Elvas F, Vangestel C, Pak K, Gray B, Stroobants S, Staelens S, wyffels L. [ 99m Tc]duramycin for cell death imaging: Impact of kit formulation, purification and species difference. Nucl Med Biol 2018; 56:1-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Downregulation of Survivin Gene Expression Affects Ionizing Radiation Resistance of Human T98 Glioma Cells. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2017; 38:861-868. [PMID: 29098505 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-017-0560-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Survivin is a tumor-associated gene, which has been detected in a wide variety of human tumors. Previous research has shown that Survivin can affect hepatoma carcinoma cell radiosensitivity. However, little is known about the role of Survivin in ionizing radiation resistance in glioma cells. In this study, we aimed to identify the effects of Survivin on ionizing radiation resistance in glioma cell line T98. Our results showed that downregulation of Survivin gene expression and ionizing irradiation could both inhibit T98 cell proliferation by assays in vitro including CCK-8 and immunohistochemistry. The inhibitory effect of downregulation of Survivin combined with irradiation was the most significant compared with other groups. Results of Western blotting and flow cytometric analysis also showed that downregulation of Survivin combined with the irradiation group achieved the highest apoptosis rate. Experimental results in vivo by intracranial implanting into nude mice were consistent with those in vitro. These findings indicated that ionizing radiation resistance of human T98 glioma cells can be inhibited effectively after Survivin gene silencing.
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SPECT and PET radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging of apoptosis: from bench to clinic. Oncotarget 2017; 8:20476-20495. [PMID: 28108738 PMCID: PMC5386778 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.14730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Owing to the central role of apoptosis in many human diseases and the wide-spread application of apoptosis-based therapeutics, molecular imaging of apoptosis in clinical practice is of great interest for clinicians, and holds great promises. Based on the well-defined biochemical changes for apoptosis, a rich assortment of probes and approaches have been developed for molecular imaging of apoptosis with various imaging modalities. Among these imaging techniques, nuclear imaging (including single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography) remains the premier clinical method owing to their high specificity and sensitivity. Therefore, the corresponding radiopharmaceuticals have been a major focus, and some of them like 99mTc-Annexin V, 18F-ML-10, 18F-CP18, and 18F-ICMT-11 are currently under clinical investigations in Phase I/II or Phase II/III clinical trials on a wide scope of diseases. In this review, we summarize these radiopharmaceuticals that have been widely used in clinical trials and elaborate them in terms of radiosynthesis, pharmacokinetics and dosimetry, and their applications in different clinical stages. We also explore the unique features required to qualify a desirable radiopharmaceutical for imaging apoptosis in clinical practice. Particularly, a perspective of the impact of these clinical efforts, namely, apoptosis imaging as predictive and prognostic markers, early-response indicators and surrogate endpoints, is also the highlight of this review.
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31
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Guisier F, Bohn P, Patout M, Piton N, Farah I, Vera P, Thiberville L, Salaün M. In- and ex-vivo molecular imaging of apoptosis to assess sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer to EGFR inhibitors using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180576. [PMID: 28671975 PMCID: PMC5495425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prediction of treatment outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR inhibitors on the basis of the genetic analysis of the tumor can be incorrect in case of rare or complex mutations, bypass molecular activation pathways, or pharmacodynamic variations. The aim of this study was to develop an ex vivo and in vivo real-time quantitative imaging test for EGFR inhibitors sensitivity assessment. METHODS Erlotinib resistant (A549, H460, H1975), insensitive (H1650) and hypersensitive (HCC827) cell lines were injected subcutaneously in Nude mice. Tumor xenografts from mice treated with Erlotinib were imaged ex vivo and in vivo using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) and NucView 488 Caspase 3 substrate, a fluorescent probe specific for the activated caspase 3. RESULTS Assessment of apoptosis at 24h post treatment, both ex vivo in explanted tumor xenografts and in vivo, showed a significant difference between resistant cell lines (A549, H460 and H1975) and insensitive (H1650) or hypersensitive (HCC827) ones (p<0.05 for ex vivo imaging, p≤0.02 for in vivo imaging). There was also a significant difference between insensitive and hypersensitive cell lines, both ex vivo (p<0.05) and in vivo (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION Real-time in vivo and ex vivo assessment of apoptosis using pCLE differentiates resistant from sensitive NSCLC xenografts to Erlotinib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Guisier
- Department of Pulmonology, Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Intensive Care & CIC INSERM U 1404, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
| | - Pierre Bohn
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
- Nuclear Medicine Department, Henri Becquerel Cancer Center and Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Maxime Patout
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
| | - Nicolas Piton
- Cytology & Pathology Department, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Insaf Farah
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
| | - Pierre Vera
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
- Nuclear Medicine Department, Henri Becquerel Cancer Center and Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Luc Thiberville
- Department of Pulmonology, Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Intensive Care & CIC INSERM U 1404, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
| | - Mathieu Salaün
- Department of Pulmonology, Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Intensive Care & CIC INSERM U 1404, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, LITIS, Quant.I.F – EA 4108, Rouen, France
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Neves AA, Xie B, Fawcett S, Alam IS, Witney TH, de Backer MM, Summers J, Hughes W, McGuire S, Soloviev D, Miller J, Howat WJ, Hu DE, Rodrigues TB, Lewis DY, Brindle KM. Rapid Imaging of Tumor Cell Death In Vivo Using the C2A Domain of Synaptotagmin-I. J Nucl Med 2017; 58:881-887. [PMID: 28209913 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.116.183004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell death is an important target for imaging the early response of tumors to treatment. We describe here the validation of a phosphatidylserine-binding agent for detecting tumor cell death in vivo based on the C2A domain of synaptotagmin-I. Methods: The capability of near-infrared fluorophore-labeled and 99mTc- and 111In-labeled derivatives of C2Am for imaging tumor cell death, using planar near-infrared fluorescence imaging and SPECT, respectively, was evaluated in implanted and genetically engineered mouse models of lymphoma and in a human colorectal xenograft. Results: The fluorophore-labeled C2Am derivative showed predominantly renal clearance and high specificity and sensitivity for detecting low levels of tumor cell death (2%-5%). There was a significant correlation (R > 0.9, P < 0.05) between fluorescently labeled C2Am binding and histologic markers of cell death, including cleaved caspase-3, whereas there was no such correlation with a site-directed mutant of C2Am (iC2Am) that does not bind phosphatidylserine. 99mTc-C2Am and 111In-C2Am also showed favorable biodistribution profiles, with predominantly renal clearance and low nonspecific retention in the liver and spleen at 24 h after probe administration. 99mTc-C2Am and 111In-C2Am generated tumor-to-muscle ratios in drug-treated tumors of 4.3× and 2.2×, respectively, at 2 h and 7.3× and 4.1×, respectively, at 24 h after administration. Conclusion: Given the favorable biodistribution profile of 99mTc- and 111In-labeled C2Am, and their ability to produce rapid and cell death-specific image contrast, these agents have potential for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- André A Neves
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Bangwen Xie
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Sarah Fawcett
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Israt S Alam
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Timothy H Witney
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Maaike M de Backer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Summers
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - William Hughes
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Sarah McGuire
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Dmitry Soloviev
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Jodi Miller
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - William J Howat
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - De-En Hu
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Tiago B Rodrigues
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - David Y Lewis
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Kevin M Brindle
- Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Ortmeyer CP, Haufe G, Schwegmann K, Hermann S, Schäfers M, Börgel F, Wünsch B, Wagner S, Hugenberg V. Synthesis and evaluation of a [ 18F]BODIPY-labeled caspase-inhibitor. Bioorg Med Chem 2017; 25:2167-2176. [PMID: 28284866 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2017.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 02/11/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BODIPYs (boron dipyrromethenes) are fluorescent dyes which show high stability and quantum yields. They feature the possibility of selective 18F-fluorination at the boron-core. Attached to a bioactive molecule and labeled with [18F]fluorine, the resulting compounds are promising tracers for multimodal imaging in vivo and can be used for PET and fluorescence imaging. A BODIPY containing a phenyl and a hydroxy substituent on boron was synthesized and characterized. Fluorinated and hydroxy substituted dyes were coupled to an isatin-based caspase inhibitor via cycloaddition and the resulting compounds were evaluated in vitro in caspase inhibition assays. The metabolic stability and the formed metabolites were investigated by incubation with mouse liver microsomes and LC-MS analysis. Subsequently the fluorophores were labeled with [18F]fluorine and an in vivo biodistribution study using dynamic PET was performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Paul Ortmeyer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, D-48149 Münster, Germany; Organic Chemistry Institute, University of Münster, Corrensstr. 40, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Günter Haufe
- Organic Chemistry Institute, University of Münster, Corrensstr. 40, D-48149 Münster, Germany; Cells-in-Motion Cluster of Excellence, University of Münster, Waldeyerstr. 15, D-48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Katrin Schwegmann
- European Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of Münster, Waldeyerstr. 15, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Sven Hermann
- European Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of Münster, Waldeyerstr. 15, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Schäfers
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, D-48149 Münster, Germany; Cells-in-Motion Cluster of Excellence, University of Münster, Waldeyerstr. 15, D-48149 Münster, Germany; European Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of Münster, Waldeyerstr. 15, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Frederik Börgel
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstr. 48, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Bernhard Wünsch
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstr. 48, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Stefan Wagner
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Verena Hugenberg
- Institute for Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, HDZ NRW, Georgstr. 11, D-32545 Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
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Pisaneschi F, Kelderhouse LE, Hardy A, Engel BJ, Mukhopadhyay U, Gonzalez-Lepera C, Gray JP, Ornelas A, Takahashi TT, Roberts RW, Fiacco SV, Piwnica-Worms D, Millward SW. Automated, Resin-Based Method to Enhance the Specific Activity of Fluorine-18 Clicked PET Radiotracers. Bioconjug Chem 2017; 28:583-589. [PMID: 28150941 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Radiolabeling of substrates with 2-[18F]fluoroethylazide exploits the rapid kinetics, chemical selectivity, and mild conditions of the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction. While this methodology has proven to result in near-quantitative labeling of alkyne-tagged precursors, the relatively small size of the fluoroethylazide group makes separation of the 18F-labeled radiotracer and the unreacted precursor challenging, particularly with precursors >500 Da (e.g., peptides). We have developed an inexpensive azide-functionalized resin to rapidly remove unreacted alkyne precursor following the fluoroethylazide labeling reaction and integrated it into a fully automated radiosynthesis platform. We have carried out 2-[18F]fluoroethylazide labeling of four different alkynes ranging from <300 Da to >1700 Da and found that >98% of the unreacted alkyne was removed in less than 20 min at room temperature to afford the final radiotracers at >99% radiochemical purity with specific activities up to >200 GBq/μmol. We have applied this technique to label a novel cyclic peptide previously evolved to bind the Her2 receptor with high affinity, and demonstrated tumor-specific uptake and low nonspecific background by PET/CT. This resin-based methodology is automated, rapid, mild, and general allowing peptide-based fluorine-18 radiotracers to be obtained with clinically relevant specific activities without chromatographic separation and with only a minimal increase in total synthesis time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amanda Hardy
- EvoRx Technologies , 129 North Hill Avenue, Suite 103 Pasadena, California 91106, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Terry T Takahashi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , 3710 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Richard W Roberts
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California , 3710 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Stephen V Fiacco
- EvoRx Technologies , 129 North Hill Avenue, Suite 103 Pasadena, California 91106, United States
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Elvas F, Boddaert J, Vangestel C, Pak K, Gray B, Kumar-Singh S, Staelens S, Stroobants S, Wyffels L. 99mTc-Duramycin SPECT Imaging of Early Tumor Response to Targeted Therapy: A Comparison with 18F-FDG PET. J Nucl Med 2016; 58:665-670. [DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.116.182014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Abstract
The Pharmacological Audit Trail (PhAT) comprises a set of critical questions that need to be asked during discovery and development of an anticancer drug. Key aspects include: (1) defining a patient population; (2) establishing pharmacokinetic characteristics; (3) providing evidence of target engagement, pathway modulation, and biological effect with proof of concept pharmacodynamic biomarkers; (4) determining intermediate biomarkers of response; (5) assessing tumor response; and (6) determining how to overcome resistance by combination or sequential therapy and new target/drug discovery. The questions asked in the PhAT should be viewed as a continuum and not used in isolation. Different drug development programmes derive different types of benefit from these questions. The PhAT is critical in making go-no-go decisions in the development of currently studied drugs and will continue to be relevant to discovery and development of future generations of anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udai Banerji
- Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK; The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Paul Workman
- Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
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Kenny L. The Use of Novel PET Tracers to Image Breast Cancer Biologic Processes Such as Proliferation, DNA Damage and Repair, and Angiogenesis. J Nucl Med 2016; 57 Suppl 1:89S-95S. [PMID: 26834108 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.115.157958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The balance between proliferation and cell death is pivotal to breast tumor growth. Because of a combination of environmental and genetic factors leading to activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, these processes become deregulated in cancer. PET imaging of proliferation, angiogenesis, and DNA damage and repair offers the opportunity to monitor therapeutic efficacy to detect changes in tumor biology that may precede physical size reduction and simultaneously allows the study of intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity.This review examines recent developments in breast cancer imaging using novel probes. The probes discussed here are not licensed for routine use and are at various stages of development ranging from preclinical development (e.g., the DNA repair marker γH2AX) to clinical validation in larger studies (such as the proliferation probe 3'-deoxy-3'-(18)F-fluorothymidine [(18)F-FLT]). In breast cancer, most studies have focused on proliferation imaging mainly based on (18)F-labeled thymidine analogs. Initial studies have been promising; however, the results of larger validation studies are necessary before being incorporated into routine clinical use. Although there are distinct advantages in using process-specific probes, properties such as metabolism need careful consideration, because high background uptake in the liver due to glucuronidation in the case of (18)F-FLT may limit utility for imaging of liver metastases.Targeting angiogenesis has had some success in tumors such as renal cell carcinoma; however, angiogenesis inhibitors have not been particularly successful in the clinical treatment of breast cancer. This could be potentially attributed to patient selection due to the lack of validated predictive and responsive biomarkers; the quest for a successful noninvasive biomarker for angiogenesis could solve this challenge. Finally, we look at cell death including apoptosis and DNA damage and repair probes, the most well-studied example being (18)F-annexin V; more recently, probes that target caspase endoproteases have been developed and are undergoing early clinical validation studies.Further clinical studies including analysis of test-retest variability are essential to determine sensitivity and future utility of these probes in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kenny
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Comprehensive Cancer Imaging Center, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Albrecht DS, Granziera C, Hooker JM, Loggia ML. In Vivo Imaging of Human Neuroinflammation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:470-83. [PMID: 26985861 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is implicated in the pathophysiology of a growing number of human disorders, including multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. As a result, interest in the development of novel methods to investigate neuroinflammatory processes, for the purpose of diagnosis, development of new therapies, and treatment monitoring, has surged over the past 15 years. Neuroimaging offers a wide array of non- or minimally invasive techniques to characterize neuroinflammatory processes. The intent of this Review is to provide brief descriptions of currently available neuroimaging methods to image neuroinflammation in the human central nervous system (CNS) in vivo. Specifically, because of the relatively widespread accessibility of equipment for nuclear imaging (positron emission tomography [PET]; single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT]) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we will focus on strategies utilizing these technologies. We first provide a working definition of "neuroinflammation" and then discuss available neuroimaging methods to study human neuroinflammatory processes. Specifically, we will focus on neuroimaging methods that target (1) the activation of CNS immunocompetent cells (e.g. imaging of glial activation with TSPO tracer [(11)C]PBR28), (2) compromised BBB (e.g. identification of MS lesions with gadolinium-enhanced MRI), (3) CNS-infiltration of circulating immune cells (e.g. tracking monocyte infiltration into brain parenchyma with iron oxide nanoparticles and MRI), and (4) pathological consequences of neuroinflammation (e.g. imaging apoptosis with [(99m)Tc]Annexin V or iron accumulation with T2* relaxometry). This Review provides an overview of state-of-the-art techniques for imaging human neuroinflammation which have potential to impact patient care in the foreseeable future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristina Granziera
- Neuro-Immunology,
Neurology Division, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier
Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- LTS5, Ecole
Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Isatin sulfonamides: potent caspases-3 and -7 inhibitors, and promising PET and SPECT radiotracers for apoptosis imaging. Future Med Chem 2016; 7:1173-96. [PMID: 26132525 DOI: 10.4155/fmc.15.52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Caspases-3 and -7 play an essential role in apoptosis. Isatin sulfonamides have been identified as potent inhibitors of these executing caspases. Besides pharmacological application, these compounds can also serve as recognition units to target caspases using positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) when labeled with a positron or a gamma emitter. Fluorinated, alkylated, arylated isatin derivatives, in addition to derivatives modified with heterocycles, have been prepared in order to improve their binding potency, selectivity and metabolic stability. Structural optimization has led to stable, highly active inhibitors, which after labeling have been applied in PET studies in tumor mouse models and for first preclinical and clinical investigations with healthy human volunteers. The results support further development of such radiotracers for clinical apoptosis imaging.
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A HSP60-targeting peptide for cell apoptosis imaging. Oncogenesis 2016; 5:e201. [PMID: 26926787 PMCID: PMC5154354 DOI: 10.1038/oncsis.2016.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Apoptosis has a critical role in both physiological and pathological processes, and therefore probes that enable direct and fast visualization for apoptosis in vitro and in vivo have great significance for evaluation of therapeutic effects, disease monitoring and drug screening. We report here a novel apoptotic marker heat shock protein 60 (HSP60)-based apoptosis imaging probe, P17. In this study, we show that P17 can label multiple drug-induced apoptotic cells in vitro, and the difference in binding intensities between apoptotic and viable cells by fluorescent P17 is more than 10-fold in six cell lines measured by flow cytometry and proportional to the apoptotic level of the cells. We further visualized the apoptosis in the subcutaneous tumor of mice by vein injection of P17 using in vivo fluorescent imaging. P17 was identified to bind specifically to HSP60 accumulated in apoptotic cells by pull-down experiments and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the P17 binding was correlated with the apoptotic feature of phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure and caspase-3 activation. We also clarify that P17 labels the cells in late stage apoptosis by double staining with different stage markers, unveiling that HSP60 may be involved with late stage of apoptosis. Overall, this study has demonstrated that P17 is a novel apoptosis probe targeting HSP60 and promising for the detection of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.
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Comparison of dosimetry between PET/CT and PET alone using 11C-ITMM. AUSTRALASIAN PHYSICAL & ENGINEERING SCIENCES IN MEDICINE 2016; 39:177-86. [DOI: 10.1007/s13246-015-0419-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Wang Y, Cheng X, Zhan Z, Ma X, Nie R, Hai L, Wu Y. IBX-promoted domino reaction of α-hydroxy amides: a facile one-pot synthesis of isatins. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ra25036f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel and temperature-controlled oxidation of α-hydroxy amides in the presence of IBX is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaoling Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
| | - Xu Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
| | - Zhen Zhan
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
| | - Xiaojun Ma
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
| | - Ruifang Nie
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
| | - Li Hai
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
| | - Yong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery System of Education Ministry
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- West China School of Pharmacy
- Sichuan University
- Chengdu 610041
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Rossanese O, Eccles S, Springer C, Swain A, Raynaud FI, Workman P, Kirkin V. The pharmacological audit trail (PhAT): Use of tumor models to address critical issues in the preclinical development of targeted anticancer drugs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ddmod.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Elvas F, Vangestel C, Rapic S, Verhaeghe J, Gray B, Pak K, Stroobants S, Staelens S, Wyffels L. Characterization of [(99m)Tc]Duramycin as a SPECT Imaging Agent for Early Assessment of Tumor Apoptosis. Mol Imaging Biol 2015; 17:838-47. [PMID: 25896815 PMCID: PMC4641155 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-015-0852-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE We investigated the usefulness of [(99m)Tc]duramycin for monitoring early response to cancer therapy in mice, with an eye towards clinical translation. PROCEDURES [(99m)Tc]Duramycin was injected in healthy CD1-/- mice to estimate human [(99m)Tc]duramycin radiation dose. [(99m)Tc]Duramycin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of apoptosis was evaluated in a mouse model of colorectal cancer treated with irinotecan and validated ex vivo using autoradiography, cleaved caspase-3, and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) histology of the tumors. RESULTS The mean effective dose was estimated to be 3.74 × 10(-3) ± 3.43 × 10(-4) mSv/MBq for non-purified and 3.19 × 10(-3) ± 2.16 × 10(-4) mSv/MBq for purified [(99m)Tc]duramycin. [(99m)Tc]Duramycin uptake in vivo following therapy increased significantly in apoptotic irinotecan-treated tumors (p = 0.008). Radioactivity in the tumors positively correlated with cleaved caspase-3 (r = 0.85, p < 0.001) and TUNEL (r = 0.92, p < 0.001) staining. CONCLUSION [(99m)Tc]Duramycin can be used to detect early chemotherapy-induced tumor cell death, and thus, may be a prospective candidate for clinical SPECT imaging of tumor response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Elvas
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Christel Vangestel
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Sara Rapic
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Verhaeghe
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Brian Gray
- Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc., West Chester, PA, USA
| | - Koon Pak
- Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc., West Chester, PA, USA
| | - Sigrid Stroobants
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Steven Staelens
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Leonie Wyffels
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.
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Shaulov-Rotem Y, Merquiol E, Weiss-Sadan T, Moshel O, Salpeter S, Shabat D, Kaschani F, Kaiser M, Blum G. A novel quenched fluorescent activity-based probe reveals caspase-3 activity in the endoplasmic reticulum during apoptosis. Chem Sci 2015; 7:1322-1337. [PMID: 29910890 PMCID: PMC5975724 DOI: 10.1039/c5sc03207e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A selective quenched activity-based probe detects caspase-3 activity in the endoplasmic reticulum of cancerous cells during apoptosis.
The caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that are key regulators of apoptosis and their activity may thus serve as a good marker to monitor cell death. We have developed a quenched fluorescent activity-based probe (qABP) that is selective for caspase-3 activity and emits a fluorescent signal after covalently modifying its target. The probe has a wide range of potential applications, e.g. in real-time imaging, FACS analysis or biochemical quantification of caspase activity in intact cells. Application of the probe allowed us to monitor caspase-3 activation after chemotherapy-treatment and to distinguish between apoptosis sensitive and resistant cells. Moreover, it enabled real-time high-resolution visualization of active caspase-3 during apoptosis. This led to the surprising finding that in cancerous cells active caspase-3 is not only found at the familiar cellular locations but also in mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, our novel covalent probe allows high spatial and temporal resolution imaging of caspase-3 activation and may thus be used as an effective tool to study molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death in healthy and disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia Shaulov-Rotem
- Institute of Drug Research , The School of Pharmacy , The Faculty of Medicine , Campus Ein Karem , The Hebrew University , Jerusalem , 9112001 , Israel
| | - Emmanuelle Merquiol
- Institute of Drug Research , The School of Pharmacy , The Faculty of Medicine , Campus Ein Karem , The Hebrew University , Jerusalem , 9112001 , Israel
| | - Tommy Weiss-Sadan
- Institute of Drug Research , The School of Pharmacy , The Faculty of Medicine , Campus Ein Karem , The Hebrew University , Jerusalem , 9112001 , Israel
| | - Ofra Moshel
- Institute of Drug Research , The School of Pharmacy , The Faculty of Medicine , Campus Ein Karem , The Hebrew University , Jerusalem , 9112001 , Israel
| | - Seth Salpeter
- Institute of Drug Research , The School of Pharmacy , The Faculty of Medicine , Campus Ein Karem , The Hebrew University , Jerusalem , 9112001 , Israel
| | - Doron Shabat
- School of Chemistry , Faculty of Exact Sciences , Tel-Aviv University , Tel Aviv , 69978 , Israel
| | - Farnusch Kaschani
- Department of Chemical Biology , University of Duisburg-Essen , Center for Medical Biotechnology , Faculty of Biology , 45117 Essen , Germany
| | - Markus Kaiser
- Department of Chemical Biology , University of Duisburg-Essen , Center for Medical Biotechnology , Faculty of Biology , 45117 Essen , Germany
| | - Galia Blum
- Institute of Drug Research , The School of Pharmacy , The Faculty of Medicine , Campus Ein Karem , The Hebrew University , Jerusalem , 9112001 , Israel
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Mahajan A, Goh V, Basu S, Vaish R, Weeks AJ, Thakur MH, Cook GJ. Bench to bedside molecular functional imaging in translational cancer medicine: to image or to imagine? Clin Radiol 2015; 70:1060-82. [PMID: 26187890 DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2015.06.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing research on malignant and normal cell biology has substantially enhanced the understanding of the biology of cancer and carcinogenesis. This has led to the development of methods to image the evolution of cancer, target specific biological molecules, and study the anti-tumour effects of novel therapeutic agents. At the same time, there has been a paradigm shift in the field of oncological imaging from purely structural or functional imaging to combined multimodal structure-function approaches that enable the assessment of malignancy from all aspects (including molecular and functional level) in a single examination. The evolving molecular functional imaging using specific molecular targets (especially with combined positron-emission tomography [PET] computed tomography [CT] using 2- [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose [FDG] and other novel PET tracers) has great potential in translational research, giving specific quantitative information with regard to tumour activity, and has been of pivotal importance in diagnoses and therapy tailoring. Furthermore, molecular functional imaging has taken a key place in the present era of translational cancer research, producing an important tool to study and evolve newer receptor-targeted therapies, gene therapies, and in cancer stem cell research, which could form the basis to translate these agents into clinical practice, popularly termed "theranostics". Targeted molecular imaging needs to be developed in close association with biotechnology, information technology, and basic translational scientists for its best utility. This article reviews the current role of molecular functional imaging as one of the main pillars of translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mahajan
- Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, UK; Department of Radiodiagnosis, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, 400012, India.
| | - V Goh
- Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, UK
| | - S Basu
- Radiation Medicine Centre, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tata Memorial Hospital Annexe, Mumbai, 400 012, India
| | - R Vaish
- Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, 400012, India
| | - A J Weeks
- Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, UK
| | - M H Thakur
- Department of Radiodiagnosis, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, 400012, India
| | - G J Cook
- Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, UK; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Guy's and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK
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Application of "Systems Vaccinology" to Evaluate Inflammation and Reactogenicity of Adjuvanted Preventative Vaccines. J Immunol Res 2015; 2015:909406. [PMID: 26380327 PMCID: PMC4562180 DOI: 10.1155/2015/909406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in "omics" technology (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, genomics/epigenomics, etc.) allied with statistical and bioinformatics tools are providing insights into basic mechanisms of vaccine and adjuvant efficacy or inflammation/reactogenicity. Predictive biomarkers of relatively frequent inflammatory reactogenicity may be identified in systems vaccinology studies involving tens or hundreds of participants and used to screen new vaccines and adjuvants in in vitro, ex vivo, animal, or human models. The identification of rare events (such as those observed with initial rotavirus vaccine or suspected autoimmune complications) will require interrogation of large data sets and population-based research before application of systems vaccinology. The Innovative Medicine Initiative funded public-private project BIOVACSAFE is an initial attempt to systematically identify biomarkers of relatively common inflammatory events after adjuvanted immunization using human, animal, and population-based models. Discriminatory profiles or biomarkers are being identified, which require validation in large trials involving thousands of participants before they can be generalized. Ultimately, it is to be hoped that the knowledge gained from such initiatives will provide tools to the industry, academia, and regulators to select optimal noninflammatory but immunogenic and effective vaccine adjuvant combinations, thereby shortening product development cycles and identifying unsuitable vaccine candidates that would fail in expensive late stage development or postmarketing.
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Novel fluorine-18 labeled 5-(1-pyrrolidinylsulfonyl)-7-azaisatin derivatives as potential PET tracers for in vivo imaging of activated caspases in apoptosis. Bioorg Med Chem 2015. [PMID: 26210158 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The programmed type I cell death, defined as apoptosis, is induced by complex regulated signaling pathways that trigger the intracellular activation of executioner caspases-3, -6 and -7. Once activated, these enzymes initiate cellular death through cleavage of proteins which are responsible for DNA repair, signaling and cell maintenance. Several radiofluorinated inhibitors of caspases-3 and -7, comprising a moderate lipophilic 5-(1-pyrrolidinylsulfonyl)isatin lead structure, are currently being investigated for imaging apoptosis in vivo by us and others. The purpose of this study was to increase the intrinsic hydrophilicity of the aforementioned lead structure to alter the pharmacokinetic behavior of the resulting caspase-3 and -7 targeted radiotracer. Therefore, fluorinated and non-fluorinated derivatives of 5-(1-pyrrolidinylsulfonyl)-7-azaisatin were synthesized and tested for their inhibitory properties against recombinant caspases-3 and -7. Fluorine-18 has been introduced by copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) of an alkyne precursor with 2-[(18)F]fluoroethylazide. Using dynamic micro-PET biodistribution studies in vivo the kinetic behavior of one promising PET-compatible 5-pyrrolidinylsulfonyl 7-azaisatin derivative has been compared to a previously described isatin based radiotracer.
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Palner M, Shen B, Jeon J, Lin J, Chin FT, Rao J. Preclinical Kinetic Analysis of the Caspase-3/7 PET Tracer 18F-C-SNAT: Quantifying the Changes in Blood Flow and Tumor Retention After Chemotherapy. J Nucl Med 2015; 56:1415-21. [PMID: 26045308 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.115.155259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Early detection of tumor response to therapy is crucial to the timely identification of the most efficacious treatments. We recently developed a novel apoptosis imaging tracer, (18)F-C-SNAT (C-SNAT is caspase-sensitive nanoaggregation tracer), that undergoes an intramolecular cyclization reaction after cleavage by caspase-3/7, a biomarker of apoptosis. This caspase-3/7-dependent reaction leads to an enhanced accumulation and retention of (18)F activity in apoptotic tumors. This study aimed to fully examine in vivo pharmacokinetics of the tracer through PET imaging and kinetic modeling in a preclinical mouse model of tumor response to systemic anticancer chemotherapy. METHODS Tumor-bearing nude mice were treated 3 times with intravenous injections of doxorubicin before undergoing a 120-min dynamic (18)F-C-SNAT PET/CT scan. Time-activity curves were extracted from the tumor and selected organs. A 2-tissue-compartment model was fitted to the time-activity curves from tumor and muscle, using the left ventricle of the heart as input function, and the pharmacokinetic rate constants were calculated. RESULTS Both tumor uptake (percentage injected dose per gram) and the tumor-to-muscle activity ratio were significantly higher in the treated mice than untreated mice. Pharmacokinetic rate constants calculated by the 2-tissue-compartment model showed a significant increase in delivery and accumulation of the tracer after the systemic chemotherapeutic treatment. Delivery of (18)F-C-SNAT to the tumor tissue, quantified as K1, increased from 0.31 g⋅(mL⋅min)(-1) in untreated mice to 1.03 g⋅(mL⋅min)(-1) in treated mice, a measurement closely related to changes in blood flow. Accumulation of (18)F-C-SNAT, quantified as k3, increased from 0.03 to 0.12 min(-1), proving a higher retention of (18)F-C-SNAT in treated tumors independent from changes in blood flow. An increase in delivery was also found in the muscular tissue of treated mice without increasing accumulation. CONCLUSION (18)F-C-SNAT has significantly increased tumor uptake and significantly increased tumor-to-muscle ratio in a preclinical mouse model of tumor therapy. Furthermore, our kinetic modeling of (18)F-C-SNAT shows that chemotherapeutic treatment increased accumulation (k3) in the treated tumors, independent of increased delivery (K1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Palner
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and
| | - Bin Shen
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and
| | - Jongho Jeon
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and
| | - Jianguo Lin
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Frederick T Chin
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and
| | - Jianghong Rao
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; and
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Chen DL, Engle JT, Griffin EA, Miller JP, Chu W, Zhou D, Mach RH. Imaging caspase-3 activation as a marker of apoptosis-targeted treatment response in cancer. Mol Imaging Biol 2015; 17:384-93. [PMID: 25344147 PMCID: PMC4874215 DOI: 10.1007/s11307-014-0802-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We tested whether positron emission tomography (PET) with the caspase-3-targeted isatin analog [(18)F]WC-4-116 could image caspase-3 activation in response to an apoptosis-inducing anticancer therapy. PROCEDURES [(18)F]WC-4-116 uptake was determined in etoposide-treated EL4 cells. Biodistribution studies with [(18)F]WC-4-116 and [(18)F]ICMT-18, a non-caspase-3-targeted tracer, as well as [(18)F]WC-4-116 microPET imaging assessed responses in Colo205 tumor-bearing mice treated with death receptor 5 (DR5)-targeted agonist antibodies. Immunohistochemical staining and enzyme assays confirmed caspase-3 activation. Two-way analysis of variance or Student's t test assessed for treatment-related changes in tracer uptake. RESULTS [(18)F]WC-4-116 increased 8 ± 2 fold in etoposide-treated cells. The [(18)F]WC-4-116 % ID/g also increased significantly in tumors with high caspase-3 enzyme activity (p < 0.05). [(18)F]ICMT-18 tumor uptake did not differ in tumors with high or low caspase-3 enzyme activity. CONCLUSIONS [(18)F]WC-4-116 uptake in vivo reflects increased caspase-3 activation and may be useful for detecting caspase-3-mediated apoptosis treatment responses in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine L Chen
- Division of Radiological Sciences and Nuclear Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8225, 510 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA,
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