Peter Roselt

Modulation of intratumoral hypoxia by the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor gefitinib detected using small animal PET imaging

Blockade of signaling through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase by inhibitors such as gefitinib (Iressa) can inhibit tumor angiogenesis and enhance responses to ionizing radiation. In this study, the ability of gefitinib to modulate intratumoral oxygenation was evaluated in human EGFR-expressing A431 squamous cell carcinoma xenografts using in vivo small animal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the hypoxia marker [18F]fluoroazomycin arabinoside (FAZA) and by the immunohistochemical detection of hypoxia-induced adducts of the 2-nitroimidazole, pimonidazole. Serial noninvasive PET imaging of A431 xenografts showed a significant reduction in FAZA uptake following treatment with 75 mg/kg/d of gefitinib [tumor to background ratio, 6.1 ± 1.0 (pretreatment) versus 2.3 ± 0.6 (posttreatment); P = 0.0004]. Similarly, ex vivo quantitation of FAZA uptake showed significantly reduced FAZA uptake in established A431 xenografts treated with gefitinib compared with vehicle control (tumor to blood ratio for controls versus gefitinib, 8.0 ± 3.0 versus 2.7 ± 0.8; P = 0.007; or tumor to muscle ratio controls versus gefitinib, 8.6 ± 2.8 versus 2.6 ± 1.0; P = 0.002). The effect of gefitinib treatment seemed to be independent of tumor size. In addition, gefitinib treatment reduced pimonidazole-binding in A431 xenografts measured after 5 and 8 days of gefitinib treatment compared with baseline and with tumors treated with vehicle alone. A strong correlation was observed between pimonidazole binding and FAZA uptake. Together, these findings show that gefitinib reduces intratumoral hypoxia.

Imaging of hypoxia with 18F-FAZA PET in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

For many cancers, tumour hypoxia is an adverse prognostic factor, and increases chemoradiation resistance; its importance in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unproven. This study evaluated tumoural hypoxia using fluoroazomycin arabinoside (18F‐FAZA) positron emission tomography (PET) scans among patients with locoregionally advanced NSCLC treated with definitive chemoradiation.

High-Contrast PET of Melanoma Using 18F-MEL050, a Selective Probe for Melanin with Predominantly Renal Clearance

The aim of this study was to evaluate the novel probe 18F-6-fluoro-N-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl] pyridine-3-carboxamide (18F-MEL050) for the imaging of primary and metastatic melanoma. Methods: PET using 18F-MEL050 was performed in murine models of melanoma. The specificity of 18F-MEL050 was studied by comparing its accumulation in pigmented B16-F0 allograft tumors with that of human amelanotic A375 xenografts using PET and high-resolution autoradiography. 18F-MEL050 PET results were compared with 18F-FDG PET, the current standard in melanoma molecular imaging. To test the ability of 18F-MEL050 to assess the metastatic spread of melanoma, a murine model of lung metastasis was imaged by PET/CT, and results correlated with physical assessment of tumor burden in the lungs. Results: In pigmented B16-F0 grafts, 18F-MEL050 PET yielded a tumor-to-background ratio of approximately 20:1 at 1 h and greater than 50:1 at 2 and 3 h. In the B16-F0 melanoma allograft model, tumor-to-background ratio was more than 9-fold higher for 18F-MEL050 than for 18F-FDG (50.9 ± 6.9 vs. 5.8 ± 0.5). No uptake was observed in the amelanotic melanoma xenografts. Intense uptake of 18F-MEL050 was evident in metastatic lesions in the lungs of B16-BL6 tumor–bearing mice on PET at 2 h after tracer injection, with high concordance between 18F-MEL050 accumulation on PET/CT and tumor burden determined at necroscopy. Conclusion: 18F-MEL050 has a rapid tumor uptake and high retention with specificity for melanin, suggesting great potential for noninvasive clinical evaluation of suspected metastatic melanoma.

Multi-tracer small animal PET imaging of the tumour response to the novel pan-Erb-B inhibitor CI-1033

PurposeThis study was designed as “proof of concept” for a drug development model utilising multi-tracer serial small animal PET imaging to characterise tumour responses to molecularly targeted therapy.MethodsMice bearing subcutaneous A431 human squamous carcinoma xenografts (n=6–8) were treated with the pan-Erb-B inhibitor CI-1033 or vehicle and imaged serially (days 0, 3 and 6 or 7) with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose, [18F]fluoro-L-thymidine, [18F]fluoro-azoazomycinarabinoside or [18F]fluoromisonidazole. Separate cohorts (n=3) were treated identically and tumours were assessed ex vivo for markers of glucose metabolism, proliferation and hypoxia.ResultsDuring the study period, mean uptake of all PET tracers generally increased for control tumours compared to baseline. In contrast, tracer uptake into CI-1033-treated tumours decreased by 20–60% during treatment. Expression of the glucose transporter Glut-1 and cell cycle markers was unchanged or increased in control tumours and generally decreased with CI-1033 treatment, compared to baseline. Thymidine kinase activity was reduced in all tumours compared to baseline at day 3 but was sevenfold higher in control versus CI-1033-treated tumours by day 6 of treatment. Uptake of the hypoxia marker pimonidazole was stable in control tumours but was severely reduced following 7 days of CI-1033 treatment.ConclusionCI-1033 treatment significantly affects tumour metabolism, proliferation and hypoxia as determined by PET. The PET findings correlated well with ex vivo biomarkers for each of the cellular processes studied. These results confirm the utility of small animal PET for evaluation of the effectiveness of molecularly targeted therapies and simultaneously definition of specific cellular processes involved in the therapeutic response.

18F-FLT PET as a Surrogate Marker of Drug Efficacy During mTOR Inhibition by Everolimus in a Preclinical Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Tumor Model

Targeting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a potential means of overcoming cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer patients. Because mTOR inhibition affects cell proliferation, we aimed to study whether 3′-deoxy-3′-18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) PET could be useful for monitoring early response to treatment with mTOR inhibitors in an animal model of cisplatin-resistant ovarian tumor. Methods: BALB/c nude mice bearing subcutaneous human SKOV3 ovarian cancer xenografts were treated with either the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (5 mg/kg) or vehicle, and 18F-FLT PET was performed at baseline, day 2, and day 7 of treatment. 18F-FLT uptake was evaluated by calculation of mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) corrected for partial-volume effect. Ex vivo immunohistochemistry studies were performed on separate cohorts of mice treated as above and sacrificed at the same time points as for the PET studies. The ex vivo analysis included bromodeoxyuridine incorporation as a marker of cell proliferation, and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 as a downstream marker of mTOR activation. Results: During the treatment period, no significant change in tumor 18F-FLT uptake was observed in the vehicle group, whereas in everolimus-treated mice, 18F-FLT SUVmean decreased by 33% (P = 0.003) at day 2 and 66% (P < 0.001) at day 7, compared with baseline. Notably, the reduction of 18F-FLT uptake observed at day 2 in the everolimus group preceded changes in tumor volume, and a significant difference in 18F-FLT uptake was observed between vehicle and drug-treated tumors at both day 2 (P = 0.0008) and day 7 (P = 0.01). In ex vivo studies, everolimus treatment resulted in a 98% reduction in phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 immunostaining at day 2 (P = 0.02) and 91% reduction at day 7 (P = 0.003), compared with the vehicle group. Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation was reduced by 65% at day 2 (not significant) and by 41% at day 7 (P = 0.02) in drug versus vehicle groups. Conclusion: Reduction in 18F-FLT uptake correlates well with the level of mTOR inhibition by everolimus in the SKOV3 ovarian tumor model. These data suggest that early treatment monitoring by 18F-FLT PET may be of use in future preclinical or clinical trials evaluating treatment of cisplatin-resistant ovarian tumors by mTOR inhibitors.

Discovery of [18F]N-(2-(Diethylamino)ethyl)-6-fluoronicotinamide: A Melanoma Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Radiotracer with High Tumor to Body Contrast Ratio and Rapid Renal Clearance

The high melanoma uptake and rapid body clearance displayed by our series of [(123)I]iodonicotinamides prompted the development of [(18)F]N-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-6-fluoronicotinamide ([(18)F]2), a novel radiotracer for PET melanoma imaging. Significantly, unlike fluorobenzoates, [(18)F]fluorine incorporation on the nicotinamide ring is one step, facile, and high yielding. [(18)F]2 displayed high tumor uptake, rapid body clearance via predominantly renal excretion, and is currently being evaluated in preclinical studies for progression into clinical trials to assess the responsiveness of therapeutic agents.

PET imaging of tumours with a 64Cu labeled macrobicyclic cage amine ligand tethered to Tyr3-octreotate

The use of copper radioisotopes in cancer diagnosis and radionuclide therapy is possible using chelators that are capable of binding Cu(II) with sufficient stability in vivo to provide high tumour-to-background contrast. Here we report the design and synthesis of a new bifunctional chelator, 5-(8-methyl-3,6,10,13,16,19-hexaaza-bicyclo[6.6.6]icosan-1-ylamino)-5-oxopentanoic acid (MeCOSar), that forms copper complexes of exceptional stability by virtue of a cage amine (sarcophagine) ligand and a new conjugate referred to as SarTATE, obtained by the conjugation of MeCOSar to the tumour-targeting peptide Tyr(3)-octreotate. Radiolabeling of SarTATE with (64)Cu(II), a radioisotope suitable for positron emission tomography (PET), was fast (~20 min), easily performed at room temperature and consistently resulted in high radiochemical purity (>99%). In vitro and in vivo evaluation of (64)CuSarTATE demonstrated its high selectivity for tumour cells expressing somatostatin receptor 2 (sstr2). Biodistribution and PET imaging comparisons were made between (64)CuSarTATE and (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-Tyr(3)-octreotate ((64)CuDOTATATE). Both radiopharmaceuticals showed excellent uptake in sstr2-positive tumours at 2 h post-injection. While tumour uptake of (64)CuDOTATATE decreased significantly at 24 h, (64)CuSarTATE activity was retained, improving contrast at later time points. (64)CuSarTATE accumulated less than (64)CuDOTATATE in the non-target organs, liver and lungs. The uptake of (64)CuSarTATE in the kidneys was high at 2 h but showed significant clearance by 24 h. The new chemistry and pre-clinical evaluation presented here demonstrates that MeCOSar is a promising bifunctional chelator for Tyr(3)-octreotate that could be applied to a combined imaging and therapeutic regimen using a combination of (64)Cu- and (67)CuSarTATE complexes, owing to improved tumour-to-non-target organ ratios compared to (64)CuDOTATATE at longer time points.

Diagnostic imaging agents for alzheimer's disease: Copper radiopharmaceuticals that target aβ plaques

One of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimers disease is the presence of amyloid-β plaques in the brain and the major constituent of these plaques is aggregated amyloid-β peptide. New thiosemicarbazone-pyridylhydrazine based ligands that incorporate functional groups designed to bind amyloid-β plaques have been synthesized. The new ligands form stable four coordinate complexes with a positron-emitting radioactive isotope of copper, (64)Cu. Two of the new Cu(II) complexes include a functionalized styrylpyridine group and these complexes bind to amyloid-β plaques in samples of post-mortem human brain tissue. Strategies to increase brain uptake by functional group manipulation have led to a (64)Cu complex that effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier in wild-type mice. The new complexes described in this manuscript provide insight into strategies to deliver metal complexes to amyloid-β plaques.

Stereocontrolled synthesis of β-hydroxyphenylalanine and β-hydroxytyrosine derivatives

Abstract Side-chain bromination of N -phthaloyl-( S )-phenylalanine and tyrosine derivatives, followed by treatment of the product bromides with silver nitrate in aqueous acetone, affords the corresponding (2 S ,3 R )-β-hydroxy-α-amino acids, enantiospecifically and diastereoselectively. The diastereoselectivity depends on the carboxyl protecting group. tert -Butyl esters display greater stereoselectivity than the corresponding methyl esters, presumably as a result of a steric effect, while N-tert -butylamides react diastereospecifically due to a combination of steric and electronic effects.

New Tris(hydroxypyridinone) Bifunctional Chelators Containing Isothiocyanate Groups Provide a Versatile Platform for Rapid One-Step Labeling and PET Imaging with 68Ga3+

Two new bifunctional tris(hydroxypyridinone) (THP) chelators designed specifically for rapid labeling with 68Ga have been synthesized, each with pendant isothiocyanate groups and three 1,6-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyridin-4-one groups. Both compounds have been conjugated with the primary amine group of a cyclic integrin targeting peptide, RGD. Each conjugate can be radiolabeled and formulated by treatment with generator-produced 68Ga3+ in over 95% radiochemical yield under ambient conditions in less than 5 min, with specific activities of 60–80 MBq nmol–1. Competitive binding assays and in vivo biodistribution in mice bearing U87MG tumors demonstrate that the new 68Ga3+-labeled THP peptide conjugates retain affinity for the αvβ3 integrin receptor, clear within 1–2 h from circulation, and undergo receptor-mediated tumor uptake in vivo. We conclude that bifunctional THP chelators can be used for simple, efficient labeling of 68Ga biomolecules under mild conditions suitable for peptides and proteins.