References http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/17/5/545.full.html#related-urls Article cited in: http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/17/5/545.full.html#ref-list-1 This article cites 228 articles, 79 of which can be accessed free at: service Email alerting click here top right corner of the article or Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the Collections Topic (33 articles) Molecular Physiology and Metabolism  (98 articles) Cancer and Disease Models  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections

/pdf/molecular-imaging-in-living-subjects-seeing-fundamental-58mg35grjk.pdf

Molecular imaging in living subjects: seeing fundamental biological processes in a new light

The imaging of specific molecular targets that are associated with cancer should allow earlier diagnosis and better management of oncology patients. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a highly sensitive non-invasive technology that is ideally suited for pre-clinical and clinical imaging of cancer biology, in contrast to anatomical approaches. By using radiolabelled tracers, which are injected in non-pharmacological doses, three-dimensional images can be reconstructed by a computer to show the concentration and location(s) of the tracer of interest. PET should become increasingly important in cancer imaging in the next decade.

http://pfeifer.phas.ubc.ca/refbase/files/Gambhir-NatRev-2002-2-683.pdf

Molecular imaging of cancer with positron emission tomography.

Magnetoresponsive Therapy Nohyun Lee, Dongwon Yoo, Daishun Ling,†,‡,⊥ Mi Hyeon Cho, Taeghwan Hyeon,*,†,‡ and Jinwoo Cheon* †Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 151-742, Korea ‡School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Korea School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702, Korea Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China

Iron Oxide Based Nanoparticles for Multimodal Imaging and Magnetoresponsive Therapy.

Molecular imaging is the visualization, characterization and measurement of biological processes at the molecular and cellular levels in humans and other living systems. Molecular imaging agents are probes used to visualize, characterize and measure biological processes in living systems. These two definitions were put forth by the Sociey of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) in 2007 as a way to capture the interdisciplinary nature of this relatively new field. The emergence of molecular imaging as a scientific discipline is a result of advances in chemistry, biology, physics and engineering, and the application of imaging probes and technologies has reshaped the philosophy of drug discovery in the pharmaceutical sciences by providing more cost effective ways to evaluate the efficacy of a drug candidate and allowing pharmaceutical companies to reduce the time it takes to introduce new therapeutics to the marketplace. Finally the impact of molecular imaging on clinical medicine has been extensive since it allows a physician to diagnose a patient’s illness, prescribe treatment and monitor the efficacy of that treatment non-invasively.

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) were the first molecular imaging modalities used clinically. SPECT requires the use of a contrast agent labeled with a gamma emitting radionuclide, which should have an ideal gamma energy of 100-250 keV. These gamma rays are recorded by the detectors of a dedicated gamma camera or SPECT instrument and after signal processing can be converted into an image indentifying the localization of the radiotracer. PET requires the injected radiopharmaceutical to be labeled with a positron emitting radionuclide. As the radionuclide decays it ejects a positron from its nucleus which travels a short distance before being annihilated with an electron to release two 511 keV gamma rays 180° apart that are detected by the PET scanner (Figure 1). After sufficient acquisition time the data are reconstructed using computer based algorithms to yield images of the radiotracer’s location within the organism. When compared to SPECT, PET has greater advantages with respect to sensitivity and resolution and has been gaining in clinical popularity, with the number of PET-based studies expected to reach 3.2 million by 2010.1 While SPECT and PET technology has been around for decades, its use remained limited because of the limited availability of relevant isotopes which had to be produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. However, the introduction of the small biomedical cyclotron, the self-contained radionuclide generator and the dedicated small animal or clinical SPECT and PET scanners to hospitals and research facilities has increased the demand for SPECT and PET isotopes.



Figure 1

Cartoon depicting the fundamental principle of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). As the targeting group interacts with the cell surface receptor, the positron emitting radio-metal decays by ejecting β+ particles from its nucleus. After traveling ...



Traditional PET isotopes such as 18F, 15O, 13N and 11C have been developed for incorporation into small molecules, but due to their often lengthy radio-syntheses, short half-lives and rapid clearance, only early time points were available for imaging, leaving the investigation of biological processes, which occur over the duration of hours or days, difficult to explore. With the continuing development of biological targeting agents such as proteins, peptides, antibodies and nanoparticles, which demonstrate a range of biological half-lives, a need arose to produce new radionuclides with half-lives complementary with their biological properties. As a result, the production and radiochemistry of radiometals such as Zr, Y, In, Ga and Cu have been investigated as radionuclide labels for biomolecules since they have the potential to combine their favorable decay characteristics with the biological characteristics of the targeting molecule to become a useful radiopharmaceutical (Tables ​(Tables11 and ​and22).2



Table 1

Gamma- and Beta-Emitting Radiometals





Table 2

Positron-Emitting Radiometals



The number of papers published describing the production or use of these radiometals continues to expand rapidly, and in recognition of this fact, the authors have attempted to present a comprehensive review of this literature as it relates to the production, ligand development and radiopharmaceutical applications of radiometals (excluding 99mTc) since 1999. While numerous reviews have appeared describing certain aspects of the production, coordination chemistry or application of these radiometals,2-18 very few exhaustive reviews have been published.10,12 Additionally, this review has been written to be used as an individual resource or as a companion resource to the review written by Anderson and Welch in 1999.12 Together, they provide a literature survey spanning 50 years of scientific discovery. To accomplish this goal, this review has been organized into three sections: the first section discusses the coordination chemistry of the metal ions Zr, Y, In, Ga and Cu and their chelators in the context of radiopharmaceutical development; the second section describes the methods used to produce Zr, Y, In, Ga and Cu radioisotopes; and the final section describes the application of these radiometals in diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy.

/pdf/coordinating-radiometals-of-copper-gallium-indium-yttrium-3clup681fj.pdf

Coordinating Radiometals of Copper, Gallium, Indium, Yttrium and Zirconium for PET and SPECT Imaging of Disease

Radiometals comprise many useful radioactive isotopes of various metallic elements When properly harnessed, these have valuable emission properties that can be used for diagnostic imaging techniques, such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT, eg67Ga, 99mTc, 111In, 177Lu) and positron emission tomography (PET, eg68Ga, 64Cu, 44Sc, 86Y, 89Zr), as well as therapeutic applications (eg47Sc, 114mIn, 177Lu, 90Y, 212/213Bi, 212Pb, 225Ac, 186/188Re) A fundamental critical component of a radiometal-based radiopharmaceutical is the chelator, the ligand system that binds the radiometal ion in a tight stable coordination complex so that it can be properly directed to a desirable molecular target in vivo This article is a guide for selecting the optimal match between chelator and radiometal for use in these systems The article briefly introduces a selection of relevant and high impact radiometals, and their potential utility to the fields of radiochemistry, nuclear medicine, and molecular imaging A description of radiometal-based radiopharmaceuticals is provided, and several key design considerations are discussed The experimental methods by which chelators are assessed for their suitability with a variety of radiometal ions is explained, and a large selection of the most common and most promising chelators are evaluated and discussed for their potential use with a variety of radiometals Comprehensive tables have been assembled to provide a convenient and accessible overview of the field of radiometal chelating agents

Matching chelators to radiometals for radiopharmaceuticals.

Efficient production of high specific activity 64Cu using a biomedical cyclotron.

In vivo transchelation of copper-64 from TETA-octreotide to superoxide dismutase in rat liver.

64Cu (half-life, 12.7 h; β+, 0.653 MeV [17.4%]; β−, 0.579 MeV [39%]) has shown potential as a radioisotope for PET imaging and radiotherapy. 111In-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-d-Phe1-octreotide (OC) was developed for imaging somatostatin-receptor–positive tumors using conventional scintigraphy. With the advantages of PET over conventional scintigraphy, an agent for PET imaging of these tumors is desirable. Here, we show that 64Cu-TETA-OC (where TETA is 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-N,N′,N′′,N′′′-tetraacetic acid) and PET can be used to detect somatostatin-receptor–positive tumors in humans. Methods: Eight patients with a history of neuroendocrine tumors (five patients with carcinoid tumors and three patients with islet cell tumors) were imaged by conventional scintigraphy with 111In-DTPA-OC (204–233 MBq [5.5–6.3 mCi]) and by PET imaging with 64Cu-TETA-OC (111 MBq [3 mCi]). Blood and urine samples were collected for pharmacokinetic analysis. PET images were collected at times ranging from 0 to 36 h after injection, and the absorbed doses to normal organs were determined. Results: In six of the eight patients, cancerous lesions were visible by both 111In-DTPA-OC SPECT and 64Cu-TETA-OC PET. In one patient, 111In-DTPA-OC showed mild uptake in a lung lesion that was not detected by 64Cu-TETA-OC PET. In one patient, no tumors were detected by either agent; however, pathologic follow-up indicated that the patient had no tumors. In two patients whose tumors were visualized with 111In-DTPA-OC and 64Cu-TETA-OC, 64Cu-TETA-OC and PET showed more lesions than 111In-DTPA-OC. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that 64Cu-TETA-OC was rapidly cleared from the blood and that 59.2% ± 17.6% of the injected dose was excreted in the urine. Absorbed dose measurements indicated that the bladder wall was the dose-limiting organ. Conclusion: The high rate of lesion detection, sensitivity, and favorable dosimetry and pharmacokinetics of 64Cu-TETA-OC indicate that it is a promising radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging of patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/jnumed/42/2/213.full.pdf

64Cu-TETA-Octreotide as a PET Imaging Agent for Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors

High purity production and potential applications of copper-60 and copper-61

UNLABELLED The efficacy of 64Cu [T1/2 = 12.7 hr; beta+ (0.655 MeV; 19%); beta- (0.573 MeV; 40%)] as a radioisotope for radiotherapy has been recently established. Here we demonstrate that 64Cu-1,4,8,11 -tetraazacyclotetradecane-N,N',N",N'''-tetraacetic acid (TETA)-octreotide, a somatostatin receptor ligand, inhibits the growth of CA20948 rat pancreatic tumors in Lewis rats at doses that cause minimal toxicity. METHODS Tumor-bearing rats were administered a single 15 mCi (555 MBq) dose, a fractionated dose of 15 mCi given in 2-3 doses over 2-8 days, or control agents of buffer, unlabeled octreotide or 64Cu-labeled TETA. In certain experiments, blood was removed at times from 4-23 days post-treatment, and a complete blood count along with blood chemistry analyses were obtained. RESULTS Tumor-growth inhibition was significantly greater in rats injected with a single 15 mCi dose than in rats injected with control agents (p < 0.05). Dose fractionation in two doses, either 1 or 2 days apart, induced significantly increased tumor-growth inhibition compared with rats given a single dose (p < 0.05). The only toxicity observed in treated rats was a decrease in the white blood cell count. This drop was more pronounced in rats treated with a single dose compared with those treated with a fractionated dose. Human absorbed doses of 64Cu-TETA-octreotide to normal organs were estimated from biodistribution data in Lewis rats, and these data indicate that radiotherapy with 64Cu-TETA-octreotide in humans would be feasible. CONCLUSION Copper-64-TETA-octreotide is a promising radiopharmaceutical for targeted radiotherapy of somatostatin receptor-positive tumors.

https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/jnumed/39/11/1944.full.pdf

Laura A. Bass

Papers

Efficient production of high specific activity 64Cu using a biomedical cyclotron.

In vivo transchelation of copper-64 from TETA-octreotide to superoxide dismutase in rat liver.

64Cu-TETA-Octreotide as a PET Imaging Agent for Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors

High purity production and potential applications of copper-60 and copper-61

Radiotherapy, Toxicity and Dosimetry of Copper-64-TETA-Octreotide in Tumor-Bearing Rats