Mian M. Alauddin

A hybrid vector for ligand-directed tumor targeting and molecular imaging.

Merging tumor targeting and molecular-genetic imaging into an integrated platform is limited by lack of strategies to enable systemic yet ligand-directed delivery and imaging of specific transgenes. Many eukaryotic viruses serve for transgene delivery but require elimination of native tropism for mammalian cells; in contrast, prokaryotic viruses can be adapted to bind to mammalian receptors but are otherwise poor vehicles. Here we introduce a system containing cis-elements from adeno-associated virus (AAV) and single-stranded bacteriophage. Our AAV/phage (AAVP) prototype targets an integrin. We show that AAVP provides superior tumor transduction over phage and that incorporation of inverted terminal repeats is associated with improved fate of the delivered transgene. Moreover, we show that the temporal dynamics and spatial heterogeneity of gene expression mediated by targeted AAVP can be monitored by positron emission tomography. This new class of targeted hybrid viral particles will enable a wide range of applications in biology and medicine.

Synthesis and Preliminary Evaluation of 9-(4-[18F]-Fluoro-3-Hydroxymethylbutyl)Guanine ([18F]FHBG): A New Potential Imaging Agent for Viral Infection and Gene Therapy Using PET

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of 9-(4-[18F]-fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)-guanine ([18F]FHBG) is reported. 9-(4-Hydroxy-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)-guanine (penciclovir) 4 was converted to 9-[N2, O-bis-(methoxytrityl)-3-(tosylmethybutyl)]guanine 7 by treatment with methoxytrityl chloride followed by tosylation. The tosylate 7 was reacted with either tetrabutylammonium fluoride or KF in the presence of kryptofix 2.2.2. to produce the 4-fluoro-N2-O-bis-(methoxytrityl) derivative 8. Removal of the methoxytrityl groups by acidic hydrolysis produced FHBG 5. Radiolabeled product [18F]FHBG was prepared by fluorination of the tosylate 7 with [18F]KF and kryptofix 2.2.2. The labeled product was isolated by HPLC purification on a reverse-phase C18 column, and eluted at 12 min with 15% acetonitrile in water at a flow rate of 2.25 mL/min. Radiochemical yield was 8.0-22.3% with an average of 12% in 7 runs (corrected for decay). Synthesis time was 90 to 100 min including HPLC purification with radiochemical purity >99%, and average specific activity of 320 mCi/micromol. In vitro studies of the compound in HT-29 colon cancer cells revealed 18.2-fold higher uptake into transduced cells compared to control in 3 h. The agent may be useful for imaging viral infection or transfected cells in gene therapy.

Synthesis of 9-[(3-[18F]-fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]guanine ([18F]-FHPG): A potential imaging agent of viral infection and gene therapy using PET

A no-carrier-added synthesis of 9-[(3-[18F]-fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]-guanine ([18F]-FHPG) is reported. The 9-[(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl)guanine (DHPG) was converted to 9-[N2,O-bis(methoxytrityl)-3-(tosyl)-2-propoxy-methyl]guanine by treatment with methoxytrityl chloride followed by tosylation. The tosylate was reacted with [18F]-KF in the presence of kryptofix 2.2.2. to produce the 3-fluoro-N2-O-bis-(methoxytrityl) derivative. Removal of the methoxytrityl protecting groups by acid hydrolysis produced [18F]-FHPG. The labeled product was purified by HPLC on a reverse-phase C18 column, and eluted in 9 min with a mobile phase of 5% acetonitrile in water. The radiochemical yield was 7-17%, with an average of 10% in 10 runs (corrected for decay to EOB). The radiochemical purity was > 99%, and specific activities with an average of 526 mCi/mumol were obtained. The synthesis time was 70-80 min, including HPLC purification and determination of radiochemical purity and specific activity.

A Human-Derived Reporter Gene for Noninvasive Imaging in Humans: Mitochondrial Thymidine Kinase Type 2

A human-derived intrinsically nonimmunogenic reporter gene was tested for PET imaging of different molecular–genetic processes for potential clinical use. Methods: The human mitochondrial thymidine kinase type 2 (hTK2) reporter gene truncated at the N terminus (ΔhTK2), alone or fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP), was used for preclinical evaluation in a mouse model. The levels of enzymatic activity of ΔhTK2 and ΔhTK2 GFP proteins were assessed using radiotracer accumulation and prodrug activation assays in vitro and in subcutaneous tumors grown from the corresponding cell lines in nude mice. Kinetic analyses of 124I-2′-fluoro-2′-deoxy-1-β-d-β-arabinofuranosyl-5-iodouracil (FIAU), 18F-2′-fluoro-2′-deoxy-1-β-d-β-arabinofuranosyl-5-ethyluracil (FEAU), or 18F-9-(4-18F-fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)guanine (FHBG) uptake in tumors and biodistribution studies were performed. Results: ΔhTK2 was successfully expressed in the cytoplasm of transduced cells. A new anti-hTK2 monoclonal antibody 8G2 was developed. The levels of FIAU and FEAU accumulation in cells expressing ΔhTK2 and ΔhTK2 GFP were at least 10-fold higher than in wild-type cells in vitro and about 6 times higher in vivo. We determined that FEAU is a more specific reporter substrate for ΔhTK2 than FIAU, whereas FHBG is not phosphorylated by this enzyme. In addition, we showed that ΔhTK2 transduced cells can be eliminated by treatment with d-arabinofuranosyl-cytosine. Conclusion: We have tested a human-derived reporter gene that is likely to be nonimmunogenic and potentially allows for long-term monitoring of different molecular–genetic processes by nuclear imaging techniques in humans. Using 124I-FIAU, 18F-FIAU, or 18F-FEAU, it should be possible to image ΔhTK2 reporter gene expression with PET in preclinical and clinical studies.

Human CD34+ Cells in Experimental Myocardial Infarction. Long-Term Survival, Sustained Functional Improvement, and Mechanism of Action

Rationale: Human CD34+ cells have been used in clinical trials for treatment of myocardial infarction (MI). However, it is unknown how long the CD34+ cells persist in hearts, whether the improvement in cardiac function is sustained, or what are the underlying mechanisms. Objective: We sought to track the fate of injected human CD34+ cells in the hearts of severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice after experimental MI and to determine the mechanisms of action. Methods and Results: We used multimodality molecular imaging to track the fate of injected human CD34+ cells in the hearts of SCID mice after experimental MI, and used selective antibody blocking to determine the mechanisms of action. Bioluminescence imaging showed that injected CD34+ cells survived in the hearts for longer than 12 months. The PET signal from the injected cells was detected in the wall of the left ventricle. Cardiac MRI showed that left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly improved in the treated mice compared to the control mice for up to 52 weeks (P<0.05). Furthermore, treatment with anti-&agr;4&bgr;1 showed that generation of human-derived cardiomyocytes was inhibited, whereas anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment blocked the production of human-derived endothelial cells. However, the improvement in cardiac function was abolished only in the anti-VEGF, but not anti-&agr;4&bgr;1, treated group. Conclusions: Angiogenesis and/or paracrine effect, but not myogenesis, is responsible for functional improvement following CD34+ cells therapy.

Evaluation of 9-[(3-18F-fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]guanine ([18F]-FHPG) in vitro and in vivo as a probe for PET imaging of gene incorporation and expression in tumors

Preparation of 9-[(3-18F-fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]-guanine ([18F]-FHPG) for clinical use, and its evaluation as a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent for gene incorporation and expression in tumors are reported. In vitro studies in human colon cancer cells, HT-29, transduced with the retroviral vector G1Tk1SvNa and nontransduced (wild type) showed 4, 8, 12, and 15 times higher uptake of the probe in 1, 3, 5, and 7 h, respectively, in transduced cells compared with the controls. In vivo studies in tumor-bearing nude mice demonstrated that the tumor uptake of the radiotracer is three and six-fold higher in 2 and 5 h, respectively, in transduced cells compared with the control cells. These results suggest that [18F]-FHPG is a potential in vivo PET imaging agent for monitoring gene incorporation and expression in gene therapy of cancer.

Early detection of chemoradioresponse in esophageal carcinoma by 3′-deoxy-3′-3H-fluorothymidine using preclinical tumor models

Purpose: Early identification of esophageal cancer patients who are responding or resistant to combined chemoradiotherapy may lead to individualized therapeutic approaches and improved clinical outcomes. We assessed the ability of 3′-deoxy-3′-18F-fluorothymidine positron emission tomography (FLT-PET) to detect early changes in tumor proliferation after chemoradiotherapy in experimental models of esophageal carcinoma. Experimental Design: The in vitro and ex vivo tumor uptake of [3H]FLT in SEG-1 human esophageal adenocarcinoma cells were studied at various early time points after docetaxel plus irradiation and validated with conventional assessments of cellular proliferation [thymidine (Thd) and Ki-67] and [18F]FLT micro-PET imaging. Imaging-histologic correlation was determined by comparing spatial Ki-67 and [18F]FLT distribution in autoradiographs. Comparison with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was done in all experiments. Results:In vitro [3H]FLT and [3H]Thd uptake rapidly decreased in SEG-1 cells 24 hours after docetaxel with a maximal reduction of over 5-fold (P = 0.005). The [3H]FLT tumor-to-muscle uptake ratio in xenografts declined by 75% compared with baseline (P < 0.005) by 2 days after chemoradiotherapy, despite the lack of change in tumor size. In contrast, the decline of [3H]FDG uptake was gradual and less pronounced. Tumor uptake of [3H]FLT was more closely correlated with Ki-67 expression (r = 0.89, P < 0.001) than was [3H]FDG (r = 0.39, P = 0.08). Micro-PET images depicted similar trends in reduction of [18F]FLT and [18F]FDG tumor uptake. Autoradiographs displayed spatial correlations between [18F]FLT uptake and histologic Ki-67 distribution in preliminary studies. Conclusions: FLT-PET is suitable and more specific than FDG-PET for depicting early reductions in tumor proliferation that precede tumor size changes after chemoradiotherapy.

Systemic combinatorial peptide selection yields a non-canonical iron-mimicry mechanism for targeting tumors in a mouse model of human glioblastoma

The management of CNS tumors is limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a vascular interface that restricts the passage of most molecules from the blood into the brain. Here we show that phage particles targeted with certain ligand motifs selected in vivo from a combinatorial peptide library can cross the BBB under normal and pathological conditions. Specifically, we demonstrated that phage clones displaying an iron-mimic peptide were able to target a protein complex of transferrin and transferrin receptor (TfR) through a non-canonical allosteric binding mechanism and that this functional protein complex mediated transport of the corresponding viral particles into the normal mouse brain. We also showed that, in an orthotopic mouse model of human glioblastoma, a combination of TfR overexpression plus extended vascular permeability and ligand retention resulted in remarkable brain tumor targeting of chimeric adeno-associated virus/phage particles displaying the iron-mimic peptide and carrying a gene of interest. As a proof of concept, we delivered the HSV thymidine kinase gene for molecular-genetic imaging and targeted therapy of intracranial xenografted tumors. Finally, we established that these experimental findings might be clinically relevant by determining through human tissue microarrays that many primary astrocytic tumors strongly express TfR. Together, our combinatorial selection system and results may provide a translational avenue for the targeted detection and treatment of brain tumors.

Design and construction of targeted AAVP vectors for mammalian cell transduction

Bacteriophage (phage) evolved as bacterial viruses, but can be adapted to transduce mammalian cells through ligand-directed targeting to a specific receptor. We have recently reported a new generation of hybrid prokaryotic–eukaryotic vectors, which are chimeras of genetic cis-elements of recombinant adeno-associated virus and phage (termed AAVP). This protocol describes the design and construction of ligand-directed AAVP vectors, production of AAVP particles and the methodology to transduce mammalian cells in vitro and to target tissues in vivo after systemic administration. Targeted AAVP particles are made in a two-step process. First, a ligand peptide of choice is displayed on the coat protein to generate a targeted backbone phage vector. Then, a recombinant AAV carrying a mammalian transgene cassette is inserted into an intergenomic region. High-titer suspensions (∼1010–1011 transducing units per μl) can be produced within 3 days after vector construction. Transgene expression by targeted AAVP usually reaches maximum levels within 1 week.

Molecular imaging of active mutant L858R EGF receptor (EGFR) kinase-expressing nonsmall cell lung carcinomas using PET/CT

The importance of the EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway in the development and progression of nonsmall cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) is widely recognized. Gene sequencing studies revealed that a majority of tumors responding to EGFR kinase inhibitors harbor activating mutations in the EGFR kinase domain. This underscores the need for novel biomarkers and diagnostic imaging approaches to identify patients who may benefit from particular therapeutic agents and approaches with improved efficacy and safety profiles. To this goal, we developed 4-[(3-iodophenyl)amino]-7-{2-[2-{2-(2-[2-{2-([18F]fluoroethoxy)-ethoxy}-ethoxy]-ethoxy)-ethoxy}-ethoxy]-quinazoline-6-yl-acrylamide ([18F]F-PEG6-IPQA), a radiotracer with increased selectivity and irreversible binding to the active mutant L858R EGFR kinase. We show that PET with [18F]F-PEG6-IPQA in tumor-bearing mice discriminates H3255 NSCLC xenografts expressing L858R mutant EGFR from H441 and PC14 xenografts expressing EGFR or H1975 xenografts with L858R/T790M dual mutation in EGFR kinase domain, which confers resistance to EGFR inhibitors (i.e., gefitinib). The T790M mutation precludes the [18F]F-PEG6-IPQA from irreversible binding to EGFR. These results suggest that PET with [18F]F-PEG6-IPQA could be used for the selection of NSCLC patients for individualized therapy with small molecular inhibitors of EGFR kinase that are currently used in the clinic and have a similar structure (i.e., iressa, gefitinib, and erlotinib).