Chengyan Dong

Synthesis of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide) block copolymers with well-defined structures and their influence on in vivo circulation and biodistribution

Well-defined water-soluble block copolymers poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide-co-N-methacryloylglycylglycine) (PEG-b-P(HPMA-co-MAGG)) with different compositions and narrow polydispersity were synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The in vivo blood clearance and biodistribution of copolymers with different compositions were studied in normal BALB/c mice. The results showed that the electronegative copolymers were rapidly eliminated from blood and tended to accumulate in the liver and spleen. However, the copolymers with neutral or a small amount of negative charges showed a prolonged circulation time and low non-specific organ uptake. Combined with the quantitative analysis of in vitro hepatocyte uptake, we conclude that this was due to the balance between (i) the electrostatic repulsion between the copolymer and the cell membrane and (ii) the tendency of macrophage-like cells to capture the negative charged copolymers. This work also revealed the significant roles of the PEG chain length, negative charge and molecular weight for the copolymers as anticancer drug carriers with prolonged circulation time and optimal biodistribution.

Anti-tumor effect of integrin targeted (177)Lu-3PRGD2 and combined therapy with Endostar.

Purpose: Targeted radiotherapy (TRT) is an emerging approach for tumor treatment. Previously, 3PRGD2 (a dimeric RGD peptide with 3 PEG4 linkers) has been demonstrated to be of advantage for integrin αvβ3 targeting. Given the promising results of 99mTc-3PRGD2 for lung cancer detection in human beings, we are encouraged to investigate the radiotherapeutic efficacy of radiolabeled 3PRGD2. The goal of this study was to investigate and optimize the integrin αvβ3 mediated therapeutic effect of 177Lu-3PRGD2 in the animal model. Experimental Design: Biodistribution, gamma imaging and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) studies of 177Lu-3PRGD2 were performed. The targeted radiotherapy (TRT) with single dose and repeated doses as well as the combined therapy of TRT and the anti-angiogenic therapy (AAT) with Endostar were conducted in U87MG tumor model. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunochemistry (IHC) were performed post-treatment to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Results: The U87MG tumor uptake of 177Lu-3PRGD2 was relatively high (6.03 ± 0.65 %ID/g, 4.62 ± 1.44 %ID/g, 3.55 ± 1.08 %ID/g, and 1.22 ± 0.18 %ID/g at 1 h, 4 h, 24 h, and 72 h postinjection, respectively), and the gamma imaging could visualize the tumors clearly. The MTD of 177Lu-3PRGD2 in nude mice (>111 MBq) was twice to that of 90Y-3PRGD2 (55.5 MBq). U87MG tumor growth was significantly delayed by 177Lu-3PRGD2 TRT. Significantly increased anti-tumor effects were observed in the two doses or combined treatment groups. Conclusion: The two-dose TRT and combined therapy with Endostar potently enhanced the tumor growth inhibition, but the former does not need to inject daily for weeks, avoiding a lot of unnecessary inconvenience and suffering for patients, which could potentially be rapidly translated into clinical practice in the future.

Noninvasive detection of human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived teratoma with an integrin-targeting agent (99m)Tc-3PRGD2

PurposeSince their discovery in 2006, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have gained increasing interest for tissue regeneration and transplantation therapies. However, teratoma formation after iPSC transplantation is one of the most serious drawbacks that may limit their further clinical application. We investigated here whether human iPSC-derived teratomas could be detected by an integrin-targeting agent 99mTc-PEG4-E[PEG4-c(RGDfK)]2 (99mTc-3PRGD2).MethodsHuman-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were generated and characterized. In vitro integrin αvβ3 expression levels of hiPSC- and hiPSC-derived teratoma cells were determined by flow cytometry. 99mTc-3PRGD2 was prepared, and planar gamma imaging and biodistribution studies were carried out in teratoma-bearing severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of teratomas with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose (18F-FDG) was also performed for comparison. Integrin αvβ3 expression in teratoma tissues was determined by immunofluorescence staining.Results99mTc-3PRGD2 showed high (2.82 ± 0.21 and 2.69 ± 0.73%ID/g at 0.5 and 1 h pi, respectively) and specific (teratoma uptake decreased from 2.69 ± 0.73 to 0.53 ± 0.26%ID/g after blocking with cold 3PRGD2) uptake in teratoma tissues, and planar gamma imaging demonstrated the feasibility of noninvasively detecting the teratoma formation with 99mTc-3PRGD2. 18F-FDG showed low teratoma uptake and thus failed to detect the teratomas. Ex vivo immunofluorescence staining validated the integrin αvβ3 expression in the vasculature during teratoma formation.ConclusionGamma imaging with 99mTc-3PRGD2 is a promising approach for the noninvasive monitoring of tumorigenicity after hiPSCs transplantation.

SPECT/NIRF Dual Modality Imaging for Detection of Intraperitoneal Colon Tumor with an Avidin/Biotin Pretargeting System

We describe herein dual-modality imaging of intraperitoneal colon tumor using an avidin/biotin pretargeting system. A novel dual-modality probe, 99mTc-HYNIC-lys(Cy5.5)-PEG4-biotin, was designed, synthesized and characterized. Single-photon emission computed tomography/ computed tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging and near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging were developed using intraperitoneal LS180 human colon adenocarcinoma xenografts. Following avidin preinjection for 4 hours, 99mTc-HYNIC-lys(Cy5.5)-PEG4-biotin could successfully detect colon tumors of different sizes inside the abdominal region using both modalities, and the imaging results showed no differences. Biodistribution studies demonstrated that the tumors had a very high uptake of the probe 99mTc-HYNIC-lys(Cy5.5)-PEG4-biotin (12.74 ± 1.89% ID/g at 2 h p.i.), and the clearance from blood and other normal tissues occured very fast. The low tumor uptake in the non-pretargeted mice (1.63 ± 0.50% ID/g at 2 h p.i.) and tumor cell staining results showed excellent tumor binding specificity of the pretargeting system. The ability of the novel probe to show excellent imaging quality with high tumor-to-background contrast, a high degree of binding specificity with tumors and excellent in vivo biodistribution pharmacokinetics should prove that the avidin/biotin based dual-modality pretargeting probe is a promising imaging tool during the entire period of tumor diagnosis and treatment.

Radiolabeled novel mAb 4G1 for immunoSPECT imaging of EGFRvIII expression in preclinical glioblastoma xenografts

Epidermal growth factor receptor mutant III (EGFRvIII) is exclusively expressed in tumors, such as glioblastoma, breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, but never in normal organs. Increasing evidence suggests that EGFRvIII has clinical significance in glioblastoma prognosis due to its enhanced tumorigenicity and chemo/radio resistance, thus the development of an imaging approach to early detect EGFRvIII expression with high specificity is urgently needed. To illustrate this point, we developed a novel anti-EGFRvIII monoclonal antibody 4G1 through mouse immunization, cell fusion and hybridoma screening and then confirmed its specificity and affinity by a serial of assays. Following biodistribution and small animal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging of 125I-4G1 in EGFRvIII positive/negative tumor-bearing mice were performed and evaluated to verify the tumor accumulation of this radiotracer. The biodistribution indicated that 125I-4G1 showed prominent tumor accumulation at 24 h post-injection, which reached maximums of 11.20 ± 0.75% ID/g and 13.98 ± 0.57% ID/g in F98npEGFRvIII and U87vIII xenografts, respectively. In contrast, 125I-4G1 had lower tumor accumulation in F98npEGFR and U87MG xenografts. Small animal SPECT/CT imaging revealed that 125I-4G1 had a higher tumor uptake in EGFRvIII-positive tumors than that in EGFRvIII-negative tumors. This study demonstrates that radiolabeled 4G1 can serve as a valid probe for the imaging of EGFRvIII expression, and would be valuable into the clinical translation for the diagnosis, prognosis, guiding therapy, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation of tumors.

Technetium 99m–Labeled VQ Peptide: A New Imaging Agent for the Early Detection of Tumors or Premalignancies

There is a critical need to develop diagnostic procedures enabling early detection of tumors while at a curable stage. Technetium 99m (99mTc)-labeled VQ peptide (99mTc-HYNIC-VQ) identified through screening phage display peptide libraries against fresh human colonic adenomas was prepared and evaluated for tumor detection. 99mTc-HYNIC-VQ was prepared by a non-SnCl2 method with more than 99% radiochemical purity. The biodistribution in the HT-29 tumor model showed that although the absolute tumor uptake values were relatively low (0.60 ± 0.09, 0.41 ± 0.09, 0.36 ± 0.18, and 0.19 ± 0.08 %ID/g at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 hours postinjection, respectively), the tumor uptake was higher than that of any of the other organs except for the kidneys at any time point examined, which led to the high tumor to nontarget ratios. The tumors and inflammation were clearly visualized with high contrast. Although the mechanism of accumulation of radiolabeled VQ peptide in tumors and inflammation needs to be further investigated, 99mTc-HYNIC-VQ is a promising imaging agent for the early detection of tumors or premalignancies, at least for screening patients with a high risk of developing cancers.