Hidekatsu Wakizaka

Development of a small prototype for a proof-of-concept of OpenPET imaging

The OpenPET geometry is our new idea to visualize a physically opened space between two detector rings. In this paper, we developed the first small prototype to show a proof-of-concept of OpenPET imaging. Two detector rings of 110 mm diameter and 42 mm axial length were placed with a gap of 42 mm. The basic imaging performance was confirmed through phantom studies; the open imaging was realized at the cost of slight loss of axial resolution and 24% loss of sensitivity. For a proof-of-concept of PET image-guided radiation therapy, we carried out the in-beam tests with (11)C radioactive beam irradiation in the heavy ion medical accelerator in Chiba to visualize in situ distribution of primary particles stopped in a phantom. We showed that PET images corresponding to dose distribution were obtained. For an initial proof-of-concept of real-time multimodal imaging, we measured a tumor-inoculated mouse with (18)F-FDG, and an optical image of the mouse body surface was taken during the PET measurement by inserting a digital camera in the ring gap. We confirmed that the tumor in the gap was clearly visualized. The result also showed the extension effect of an axial field-of-view (FOV); a large axial FOV of 126 mm was obtained with the detectors that originally covered only an 84 mm axial FOV. In conclusion, our initial imaging studies showed promising performance of the OpenPET.

Fatty Acid Synthase Is a Key Target in Multiple Essential Tumor Functions of Prostate Cancer: Uptake of Radiolabeled Acetate as a Predictor of the Targeted Therapy Outcome

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) expression is elevated in several cancers, and this over-expression is associated with poor prognosis. Inhibitors of FASN, such as orlistat, reportedly show antitumor effects against cancers that over-express FASN, making FASN a promising therapeutic target. However, large variations in FASN expression levels in individual tumors have been observed, and methods to predict FASN-targeted therapy outcome before treatment are required to avoid unnecessary treatment. In addition, how FASN inhibition affects tumor progression remains unclear. Here, we showed the method to predict FASN-targeted therapy outcome using radiolabeled acetate uptake and presented mechanisms of FASN inhibition with human prostate cancer cell lines, to provide the treatment strategy of FASN-targeted therapy. We revealed that tumor uptake of radiolabeled acetate reflected the FASN expression levels and sensitivity to FASN-targeted therapy with orlistat in vitro and in vivo. FASN-targeted therapy was noticeably effective against tumors with high FASN expression, which was indicated by high acetate uptake. To examine mechanisms, we established FASN knockdown prostate cancer cells by transduction of short-hairpin RNA against FASN and investigated the characteristics by analyses on morphology and cell behavior and microarray-based gene expression profiling. FASN inhibition not only suppressed cell proliferation but prevented pseudopodia formation and suppressed cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. FASN inhibition also suppressed genes involved in production of intracellular second messenger arachidonic acid and androgen hormones, both of which promote tumor progression. Collectively, our data demonstrated that uptake of radiolabeled acetate is a useful predictor of FASN-targeted therapy outcome. This suggests that [1-11C]acetate positron emission tomography (PET) could be a powerful tool to accomplish personalized FASN-targeted therapy by non-invasive visualization of tumor acetate uptake and selection of responsive tumors. FASN-targeted therapy could be an effective treatment to suppress multiple steps related to tumor progression in prostate cancers selected by [1-11C]acetate PET.

Evaluation of Limiting Brain Penetration Related to P-glycoprotein and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Using [11C]GF120918 by PET in Mice

PurposeGF120918 has a high inhibitory effect on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). We developed [11C]GF120918 as a positron emission tomography (PET) probe to assess if dual modulation of P-gp and BCRP is useful to evaluate brain penetration.ProceduresPET studies using [11C]GF120918 were conducted on P-gp and/or Bcrp knockout mice as well as wild-type mice.ResultsIn PET studies, the AUCbrain[0–60 min] and K1 value in P-gp/Bcrp knockout mice were nine- and 26-fold higher than that in wild-type mice, respectively. These results suggest that brain penetration of [11C]GF120918 is related to modulation of P-gp and BCRP and is limited by two transporters working together.ConclusionsPET using [11C]GF120918 may be useful for evaluating the function of P-gp and BCRP. PET using P-gp/Bcrp knockout mice may be an effective method to understand the overall contributions the functions of P-gp and BCRP.

Translocator protein (18 kDa), a potential molecular imaging biomarker for non-invasively distinguishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS Mitochondrial dysfunction is responsible for liver damage and disease progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Translocator protein (18 kDa) (TSPO), a mitochondrial transmembrane protein, plays important roles in modulating mitochondrial function. This study explored whether TSPO can be used as an imaging biomarker of non-invasive diagnosis and staging of NAFLD, monitored using positron emission tomography (PET) with a TSPO radioligand [(18)F]FEDAC. METHODS PET with [(18)F]FEDAC, non-enhanced computerized tomography (CT), autoradiography, histopathology, and gene analysis were performed to evaluate and quantify TSPO levels and NAFLD progression in methionine and choline-deficient diet-fed mice. Correlations were analyzed between uptake ratio of radioactivity and NAFLD activity score (NAS) in the liver. RESULTS Uptake of [(18)F]FEDAC obviously increased with disease progression from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (p<0.01). A close correlation was identified between [(18)F]FEDAC uptake ratio and NAS in the liver (Pearsons r=0.922, p=0.000). Specific binding of [(18)F]FEDAC to TSPO in the NAFLD livers was assessed in competition studies with the unlabelled TSPO-selective ligand PK11195. Autoradiography and histopathology confirmed the PET imaging results. Further, the mRNA levels of the functional macromolecular signaling complex composed of TSPO were obviously higher compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS TSPO expression increases in NAFLD and closely correlates with NAFLD progression. TSPO as a specific molecular imaging biomarker may open a novel avenue for non-invasive, reliable, and quantitative diagnosis and staging of NAFLD.

Radiosynthesis and evaluation of [11C]YM-202074 as a PET ligand for imaging the metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1

INTRODUCTION Developing positron emission tomography (PET) ligands for imaging metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 (mGluR1) is important for studying its role in the central nervous system. N-cyclohexyl-6-{[N-(2-methoxyethyl)-N-methylamino]methyl}-N-methylthiazolo[3,2-a]benzimidazole-2-carboxamide (YM-202074) exhibited high binding affinity for mGluR1 (K(i)=4.8 nM), and selectivity over other mGluRs in vitro. The purpose of this study was to label YM-202074 with carbon-11 and to evaluate in vitro and in vivo characteristics of [(11)C]YM-202074 as a PET ligand for mGluR1 in rodents. METHODS [(11)C]YM-202074 was synthesized by N-[(11)C]methylation of its desmethyl precursor with [(11)C]methyl iodide. The in vitro and in vivo brain regional distributions were determined in rats using autoradiography and PET, respectively. RESULTS [(11)C]YM-202074 (262-630 MBq, n=5) was obtained with radiochemical purity of >98% and specific activity of 27-52 GBq/mumol at the end of synthesis, starting from [(11)C]CO(2) of 19.3-21.5 GBq. In vitro autoradiographic results showed that the high specific binding of [(11)C]YM-202074 for mGluR1 was presented in the cerebellum, thalamus and hippocampus, which are known as mGluR1-rich regions. In ex vivo autoradiography and PET studies, the radioligand was specifically distributed in the cerebellum, although the uptake was low. Furthermore, the regional distribution was fairly uniform in the whole brain by pretreatment with JNJ16259685 (a mGluR1 antagonist). However, radiometabolite(s) was detected in the brain. CONCLUSIONS From these results, especially considering the low brain uptake and the influx of radiometabolite(s) into brain, [(11)C]YM-202074 may not be a useful PET ligand for in vivo imaging of mGluR1 in the brain.

High-throughput screening with nanoimprinting 3D culture for efficient drug development by mimicking the tumor environment

Anti-cancer drug development typically utilizes high-throughput screening with two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. However, 2D culture induces cellular characteristics different from tumors in vivo, resulting in inefficient drug development. Here, we report an innovative high-throughput screening system using nanoimprinting 3D culture to simulate in vivo conditions, thereby facilitating efficient drug development. We demonstrated that cell line-based nanoimprinting 3D screening can more efficiently select drugs that effectively inhibit cancer growth in vivo as compared to 2D culture. Metabolic responses after treatment were assessed using positron emission tomography (PET) probes, and revealed similar characteristics between the 3D spheroids and in vivo tumors. Further, we developed an advanced method to adopt cancer cells from patient tumor tissues for high-throughput drug screening with nanoimprinting 3D culture, which we termed Cancer tissue-Originated Uniformed Spheroid Assay (COUSA). This system identified drugs that were effective in xenografts of the original patient tumors. Nanoimprinting 3D spheroids showed low permeability and formation of hypoxic regions inside, similar to in vivo tumors. Collectively, the nanoimprinting 3D culture provides easy-handling high-throughput drug screening system, which allows for efficient drug development by mimicking the tumor environment. The COUSA system could be a useful platform for drug development with patient cancer cells.

Synthesis and in vivo evaluation of 18F-fluoroethyl GF120918 and XR9576 as positron emission tomography probes for assessing the function of drug efflux transporters

The purpose of this study was to synthesize two new positron emission tomography (PET) probes, N-(4-(2-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethoxy-2-isoquinolinyl)ethyl)phenyl)-9,10-dihydro-5-[¹⁸F]fluoroethoxy-9-oxo-4-acridine carboxamide ([¹⁸F]3) and quinoline-3-carboxylic acid [2-(4-{2-[7-(2-[¹⁸F]fluoroethoxy)-6-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinolin-2-yl]ethyl}phenylcarbamoyl)-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl]amide ([¹⁸F]4), and to evaluate the potential of these PET probes for assessing the function of two major drug efflux transporters, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). [¹⁸F]3 and [¹⁸F]4 were synthesized by ¹⁸F-alkylation of each O-desmethyl precursor with [¹⁸F]2-fluoroethyl bromide for injection as PET probes. In vitro accumulation assay showed that treatment with P-gp/BCRP inhibitors (1 and 2) enhanced the intracellular accumulation capacity of P-gp- and BCRP-overexpressing MES-SA/Dx5 cells. In PET studies, the uptake (AUC(brain[0-)₆₀ (min])) of [¹⁸F]3 and [¹⁸F]4 in wild-type mice co-injected with 1 were approximately sevenfold higher than that in wild-type mice, and the uptake of [¹⁸F]3 and [¹⁸F]4 in P-gp/Bcrp knockout mice were eight- to ninefold higher than that in wild-type mice. The increased uptake of [¹⁸F]3 and [¹⁸F]4 was similar to that of parent compounds ([¹¹C]1 and [¹¹C]2) previously described, indicating that radioactivity levels in the brain after injection of [¹⁸F]3 and [¹⁸F]4 are related to the function of drug efflux transporters. Also, these results suggest that the structural difference between parent compounds ([¹¹C]1 and [¹¹C]2) and fluoroethyl analogs ([¹⁸F]3 and [¹⁸F]4) do not obviously affect the potency against drug efflux transporters. In metabolite analysis of mice, the unchanged form in the brain and plasma at 60 min after co-injection of [¹⁸F]4 plus 1 were higher (95% for brain; 81% for plasma) than that after co-injection of [¹⁸F]3 plus 1. [¹⁸F]4 is a promising PET probe to assess the function of drug efflux transporters.

Imaging of I2-imidazoline receptors by small-animal PET using 2-(3-fluoro-[4-11C]tolyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole ([11C]FTIMD)

INTRODUCTION Imidazoline receptors (IRs) have been established as distinct receptors, and have been categorized into at least two subtypes (I(1)R and I(2)R). I(2)Rs are associated with depression, Alzheimers disease, Huntingtons disease and Parkinsons disease. A few positron emission tomography (PET) probes for I(2)Rs have been synthesized, but a selective PET probe has not been evaluated for the imaging of I(2)Rs by PET. We labeled a selective I(2)R ligand 2-(3-fluoro-4-tolyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole (FTIMD) with (11)C and performed the first imaging of I(2)Rs by PET using 2-(3-fluoro-[4-(11)C]tolyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole ([(11)C]FTIMD). METHODS [(11)C]FTIMD was prepared by a palladium-promoted cross-coupling reaction of the tributylstannyl precursor and [(11)C]methyl iodide in the presence of tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) and tri(o-tol)phosphine. Biodistribution was investigated in rats by tissue dissection. [(11)C]FTIMD metabolites were measured in brain tissues and plasma. Dynamic PET scans were acquired in rats, and the kinetic parameters estimated. RESULTS [(11)C]FTIMD was successfully synthesized with a suitable radioactivity for the injection. Co-injection with 0.1 mg/kg of cold FTIMD and BU224 induced a significant reduction in the brain-to-blood ratio 15 and 30 min after the injection. In metabolite analysis, unchanged [(11)C]FTIMD in the brain was high (98%) 30 min after the injection. In PET studies, high radioactivity levels were observed in regions with a high density of I(2)R. The radioactivity levels and V(T) values in the brain regions were prominently reduced by 1.0 mg/kg of BU224 pretreatment as compared with control. CONCLUSION [(11)C]FTIMD showed specific binding to I(2)Rs in rat brains with a high density of I(2)R.

Evaluation of the P-glycoprotein- and breast cancer resistance protein-mediated brain penetration of 11C-labeled topotecan using small-animal positron emission tomography

INTRODUCTION Topotecan (TPT) is a camptothecin derivative and is an anticancer drug working as a topoisomerase-I-specific inhibitor. But TPT cannot penetrate through the blood-brain barrier. In this study, we synthesized a new positron emission tomography (PET) probe, [(11)C]TPT, to evaluate the P-glycoprotein (Pgp)- and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)-mediated brain penetration of [(11)C]TPT using small-animal PET. METHODS [(11)C]TPT was synthesized by the reaction of a desmethyl precursor with [(11)C]CH(3)I. In vitro study using [(11)C]TPT was carried out in MES-SA and doxorubicin-resistant MES-SA/Dx5 cells in the presence or absence of elacridar, a specific inhibitor for Pgp and BCRP. The biodistribution of [(11)C]TPT was determined using small-animal PET and the dissection method in mice. RESULTS The transport of [(11)C]TPT to the extracellular side was determined in MES-SA/Dx5 cells exhibiting the expressions of Pgp and BCRP at high levels. This transport was inhibited by coincubation with elacridar. In Mdr1a/b(-/-)Bcrp1(-/-) mice, PET results indicated that the brain uptake of [(11)C]TPT was about two times higher than that in wild-type mice. Similarly, the brain penetration of [(11)C]TPT in wild-type mice was increased by treatment with elacridar. The radioactivity in the brain of elacridar-treated mice was maintained at a certain level after the injection of [(11)C]TPT, although the radioactivity in the blood decreased with time. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated the increase of brain penetration of [(11)C]TPT by deficiency and inhibition of Pgp and BCRP functions using small-animal PET in mice.

In Vivo Measurement of the Affinity and Density of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Subtype 1 in Rat Brain Using 18F-FITM in Small-Animal PET

Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1 (mGluR1) is a crucial molecular target in the central nervous system disorders. 4-18F-fluoro-N-[4-[6-(isopropylamino)pyrimidin-4-yl]-1,3-thiazol-2-yl]-N-methylbenzamide (18F-FITM) has been recently developed as a useful PET ligand for mGluR1 imaging in our laboratory. In this study, we aimed to measure the affinity and density of mGluR1 using PET with 18F-FITM in rat brain under the in vivo conditions. Methods: Binding potentials (BPND) and amounts of specific binding (bound ligand concentration) at equilibrium state in brain regions were noninvasively estimated using the equilibrium analysis combined with the receptor-blocked approach (EA RBA) for kinetic analysis of 18F-FITM PET results in place of reference tissue methods. Using BPND and specific binding values of rats treated with multidose ligand, we performed Scatchard analyses for in vivo measurements of mGluR1 density (maximum number of binding sites, or Bmax) and ligand affinity (dissociation constant, or Kd) in brain regions, respectively. Results: The pretreatment of rats with unlabeled FITM (1 mg/kg) occupied an mGluR1 binding site of 18F-FITM by more than 99% and did not affect the input function. Hence, we used the tissue time–activity curve for receptor-blocked rats as representative of the nondisplaceable (free and nonspecific binding of radioligand) compartment. The BPND based on EA RBA showed a high correlation with the BPND based on invasive Logan plot graphical analysis in the thalamus, hippocampus, striatum, and cingulate cortex. The Kd (nM) and Bmax (pmol/mL) obtained by the Scatchard analyses with the multidose ligand assays were 2.1 and 36.3, respectively, for the thalamus; 2.1 and 27.5, respectively, for the hippocampus; 1.5 and 22.2, respectively, for the striatum; and 1.5 and 20.5, respectively, for the cingulate cortex with a high confidence. Conclusion: Our study is the first to our knowledge to measure the in vivo affinity (Kd and binding potential) of 18F-FITM and mGluR1 density (Bmax) with a high correlation to in vitro values in rat brain regions. This measurement using PET with 18F-FITM would be a useful index for research about mGluR1 functions in central nervous system disorders and development of new pharmaceuticals.