Raul Herance

Translational characterization of [11C]GSK931145, a PET ligand for the glycine transporter type 1

The current interest in developing Glycine transporter Type 1 (GlyT‐1) inhibitors, for diseases such as schizophrenia, has led to the demand for a GlyT‐1 PET molecular imaging tool to aid drug development and dose selection. We report on [11C]GSK931145 as a novel GlyT‐1 imaging probe in primate and man. Primate PET studies were performed to determine the level of specific binding following homologous competition with GSK931145 and the plasma‐occupancy relationship of the GlyT‐1 inhibitor GSK1018921. Human PET studies were performed to determine the test–retest reproducibility of [11C]GSK931145 and the plasma‐occupancy relationship of GSK1018921. [11C]GSK931145 entered primate and human brain and yielded a heterogeneous pattern of uptake which was similar in both species with highest uptake in midbrain, thalamus, and cerebellum. Homologous competition in primates indicated no viable reference region and gave binding potential estimates between 1.5 and 3 for midbrain, thalamus and cerebellum, While the distribution and binding potential values were similar across species, both the plasma free fraction (fP: 0.8 vs. 8%) and delivery (K1: 0.025 vs. 0.126 ml cm−3 min−1) were significantly lower in humans. Test–retest reproducibility in humans calculated using a two tissue compartmental model was poor (VAR(VT): 29–38%), but was improved using a pseudo reference tissue model (VAR(BPND): 16–23%). GSK1018921 EC50 estimates were 22.5 and 45.7 ng/ml in primates and humans, respectively. Synapse, 2011.

Oncolytic Adenoviruses Armed with Thymidine Kinase Can Be Traced by PET Imaging and Show Potent Antitumoural Effects by Ganciclovir Dosing

Replication-competent adenoviruses armed with thymidine kinase (TK) combine the concepts of virotherapy and suicide gene therapy. Moreover TK-activity can be detected by noninvasive positron emission-computed tomography (PET) imaging, what could potentially facilitate virus monitoring in vivo. Here, we report the generation of a novel oncolytic adenovirus that incorporates the Tat8-TK gene under the control of the Major Late Promoter in a highly selective backbone thus providing selectivity by targeting the retinoblastoma pathway. The selective oncolytic TK virus, termed ICOVIR5-TK-L, showed reduced potency compared to a non-selective counterpart. However the combination of ICOVIR5-TK-L with ganciclovir (GCV) induced a potent antitumoural effect similar to that of wild type adenovirus in a preclinical model of pancreatic cancer. Although the treatment with GCV provoked a reduction in the viral yield, both in vitro and in vivo, a two-cycle treatment of virus and GCV resulted in an enhanced antitumoral response that correlated with high TK-activity, based on microPET measurements. Thus, TK-expressing oncolytic adenoviruses can be traced by PET imaging providing real time information on the activity of the virus and its antitumoral potency can be optimized by GCV dosing.

Imaging Cortical Dopamine D1 Receptors Using [11C]NNC112 and Ketanserin Blockade of the 5-HT2A Receptors

[11C]NNC112 (8-chloro-7-hydroxy-3-methyl-5-(7-benzofuranyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-IH-3-benzazepine), a selective positron-emission tomography (PET) ligand for the D1 receptor (R) over the 5-HT2A R in vitro, has shown lower selectivity in vivo, hampering measurement of D1 R in the cortex. [11C]NNC112 PET and intravenous (i.v) ketanserin challenge were used to (1) confirm the previous findings of [11C]NNC112 in vivo D1 R selectivity, and (2) develop a feasible methodology for imaging cortical D1 R without contamination by 5-HT2A R. Seven healthy volunteers underwent [11C]NNC112 PET scans at baseline and after a 5-HT2A R-blocking dose of ketanserin (0.15 mg/kg, i.v.). Percent BPND change between the post-ketanserin and baseline scans was calculated. Irrespective of the quantification method used, ketanserin pretreatment led to significant decrease of BPND in the cortical (∼30%) and limbic regions (∼20%) but not in the striatum, which contains a much lower amount of 5-HT2A R. Therefore, ketanserin allows D1 R signal to be detected by [11C]NNC112 PET without significant 5-HT2A R contamination. These data confirm the presence of a significant 5-HT2A R contribution to cortical [11C]NNC112 signal, and call for caution in the interpretation of published [11C]NNC112 PET findings on cortical D1 R in humans. In the absence of more selective ligands, [11C]NNC112 PET with ketanserin can be used for cortical D1 R imaging in vivo.

In vivo molecular imaging of the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex in the aged rat brain

The GABA-ergic system, known to regulate neural tissue genesis during cortical development, has been postulated to play a role in cerebral aging processes. Using in vivo molecular imaging and voxel-wise quantification, we aimed to assess the effects of aging on the benzodiazepine (BDZ) recognition site of the GABA(A) receptor. To visualize BDZ site availability, [(11)C]-flumazenil microPET acquisitions were conducted in young and old rats. The data were analyzed and region of interest analyses were applied to validate the voxel-wise approach. We observed decreased [(11)C]-flumazenil binding in the aged rat brains in comparison with the young control group. More specifically, clusters of reduced radioligand uptake were detected in the bilateral hippocampus, cerebellum, midbrain, and bilateral frontal and parieto-occipital cortex. Our results support the pertinence of voxel-wise quantification in the analysis of microPET data. Moreover, these findings indicate that the aging process involves declines in neural BDZ recognition site availability, proposed to reflect alterations in GABA(A) receptor subunit polypeptide expression.

Positron Emission Tomographic Imaging of the Cannabinoid Type 1 Receptor System with ( 11 C)OMAR (( 11 C)JHU75528): Improvements in Image Quantification Using Wild-Type and Knockout Mice

In this study, we assessed the feasibility of using positron emission tomography (PET) and the tracer [¹¹C]OMAR ([¹¹C]JHU75528), an analogue of rimonabant, to study the brain cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor system. Wild-type (WT) and CB1 knockout (KO) animals were imaged at baseline and after pretreatment with blocking doses of rimonabant. Brain uptake in WT animals was higher (50%) than in KO animals in baseline conditions. After pretreatment with rimonabant, WT uptake lowered to the level of KO animals. The results of this study support the feasibility of using PET with the radiotracer [¹¹C]JHU75528 to image the brain CB1 receptor system in mice. In addition, this methodology can be used to assess the effect of new drugs in preclinical studies using genetically manipulated animals.

[11C]-DASB microPET imaging in the aged rat: Frontal and meso-thalamic increases in serotonin transporter binding

Whereas molecular imaging studies in the aging human brain have predominantly demonstrated reductions in serotonin transporter (5-HTT) availability, the majority of the rodent studies, using autoradiographic methods, report increases in neural 5-HTT levels with age. To our knowledge, however, no previous rodent studies have assessed this topic in vivo, and therefore it remains unclear whether this discrepancy arises from methodological or inter-species differences. We performed an [(11)C]-DASB microPET study to evaluate the effects of aging on 5-HTT availability in the rat brain. To generate binding potential estimates, quantitative tracer kinetic modeling was applied using the simplified reference tissue model. A global increase in whole-brain [(11)C]-DASB binding potential was observed in the aged rats in comparison to the control group. More specifically, regional analyses revealed a highly significant increase in 5-HTT binding in the medial frontal cortex, and more modest increments in the midbrain/thalamus. Our results suggest that the frontal cortex represents a site of robust age-related alterations in the rat serotonergic system, and stress the need for further research assessing this topic in the human frontal cortex. Moreover, these findings suggest that the reported discrepancies between rodent and human data may reflect a divergence in the aging processes affecting human and rat serotonergic terminals.

A pseudo-reference region method applied to measurement of GlyT1 occupancy in human brain using [11C]GSK931145 and PET

Introduction: [11C]GSK931145 is a novel PET radiotracer for the glycine transporter type 1 (GlyT1), with promising characteristics in preclinical species (1). A human test–retest study in 10 healthy human volunteers produced poor test–retest statistics, with mean coefficient of variation (COV) of volume of distribution (VT; 2 tissue compartmental model) ∼21% in the regions with highest signal (brain stem, thalamus, and cerebellum). A similar high variability was seen in a subsequent study which explored GlyT1 occupancy by a novel GlyT1 antagonist GSK1018921 in 10 healthy volunteers. The occupancy plot method (2) was used to analyse the VT data, but failed to produce reliable estimates for 11 out of 20 post-dose scans. Major components of the VT variability in man were related to variability in the plasma input function and reduced brain uptake (3). A reference region method could offer an improvement, however, since GlyT1 is expressed throughout the brain no reference region was available. A pseudo reference region (PRR) method was developed to address the variability associated with the blood measures and the lack of a true reference region.