Radiolabeled PSMA Inhibitors.

PSMA has shown to be a promising target for diagnosis and therapy (theranostics) of prostate cancer. We have reviewed developments in the field of radio- and fluorescence-guided surgery and targeted photodynamic therapy as well as multitargeting PSMA inhibitors also addressing albumin, GRPr and integrin αvß3. An overview of the regulatory status of PSMA-targeting radiopharmaceuticals in the USA and Europe is also provided. Technical and quality aspects of PSMA-targeting radiopharmaceuticals are described and new emerging radiolabeling strategies are discussed. Furthermore, insights are given into the production, application and potential of alternatives beyond the commonly used radionuclides for radiolabeling PSMA inhibitors. An additional refinement of radiopharmaceuticals is required in order to further improve dose-limiting factors, such as nephrotoxicity and salivary gland uptake during endoradiotherapy. The improvement of patient treatment achieved by the advantageous combination of radionuclide therapy with alternative therapies is also a special focus of this review.

Automated [18F]PSMA-1007 production by a single use cassette-type synthesizer for clinical examination.

BACKGROUND: [18F]PSMA-1007, a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, specifically targets prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is highly expressed in prostate cancer. PSMA-PET is effective especially for regional detection of biochemical recurrence, which significantly affects patient management. Herein, we established and optimized a one-step radiolabeling protocol to separate and purify [18F]PSMA-1007 with a CFN-MPS200 synthesizer for clinical application. RESULTS: A dedicated single use cassette and synthesis program for [18F]PSMA-1007 was generated using a single-step method for direct precursor radiolabeling. In the cassette, three tube types (fluoro-elastomer, PharMed® BPT, silicone) and two different precursor salts (trifluoroacetic acid or acetic acid) were compared for optimization. Furthermore, three-lot tests were performed under optimized conditions for quality confirmation. Activity yields and mean radiochemical purity of [18F]PSMA-1007 were > 5000 MBq and 95%, respectively, at the end of synthesis, and the decay-corrected mean radiochemical yield from all three cassettes was approximately 40% using a trifluoroacetic acid salt precursor. Fluoro-elastomer tubings significantly increased the amount of non-radioactive PSMA-1007 (8.5 ± 3.1 µg/mL) compared to those with other tubings (0.3 µg/mL). This reduced the molar activity of [18F]PSMA-1007 synthesized in the cassette assembled by fluoro-elastomer tubings (46 GBq/µmol) compared to that with PharMed® BPT and silicone tubings (1184 and 1411 GBq/µmol, respectively). Residual tetrabutylammonium, acetonitrile, and dimethyl sulfoxide levels were <  2.6 µg/mL, < 8 ppm, and <  11 ppm, respectively, and ethanol content was 8.0-8.1% in all three cassettes and two different salts. Higher activity yields, radiochemical purities, and decay-corrected radiochemical yields were obtained using an acetic acid salt precursor rather than a trifluoroacetic acid salt precursor (7906 ± 1216 MBq, 97% ± 0%, and 56% ± 4%). In the three-lot tests under conditions optimized with silicone cassettes and acetic acid salt precursor, all quality items passed the specifications required for human use. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully automated the production of [18F]PSMA-1007 for clinical use and optimized synthesis procedures with a CFN-MPS200 synthesizer using a silicone cassette and acetic acid salt precursor. Cassette availability will facilitate a wide spread use of [18F]PSMA-1007-PET, leading to an effective prostate cancer management.

DNA damage in human whole blood caused by radiopharmaceuticals evaluated by the comet assay.

Radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnosis or therapy induce DNA strand breaks, which may be detectable by single-cell gel electrophoresis (called comet assay). Blood was taken from patients before and at different time points after treatment with radiopharmaceuticals; blood cells were investigated by the comet assay using the percentage of DNA in the tail as the critical parameter. Whereas [225Ac]Ac-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-617 alpha therapy showed no difference relative to the blood sample taken before treatment, beta therapy with [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 3 h post-injection revealed a small but significant increase in DNA strand breaks. In blood of patients who underwent positron emission tomography (PET) with either [18F]2-fluor-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) or [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11, an increase of DNA migration determined by the comet assay was not found when analysed at different time points (2-70 min) after intravenous tracer injection. Human whole blood was incubated with the targeted clinically relevant therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals [225Ac]Ac-PSMA-617, [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 and [90Y]Y-DOTA(0)-Phe(1)-Tyr(3)-octreotide (DOTA-TOC) at different activity concentrations (kBq/ml) for 5 days and then analysed by the comet assay. DNA damage increased with higher concentrations of all radiolabeled compounds tested. [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 caused higher blood cell radiotoxicity than equal activity concentrations of [90Y]Y-DOTA-TOC. Likewise, whole human blood was exposed to the positron emitters [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 in vitro for 24 h with activity concentrations ranging between 5 and 40 MBq/ml. The same activity concentration dependent elevated DNA migration was observed for both compounds although decay energies are different. This study demonstrated that the amount of DNA damage detected by the comet assay in whole human blood is similar among different positron emitters and divergent by a factor of 200 between alpha particles and beta radiation.

[Initiation of clinical multicentre studies with local radiotracer production - Regulatory environment and radiopharmaceutical-organisational aspects]. / Initiierung klinischer Multicenter-Studien mit lokaler Radiotracer-Herstellung.

The aim of this paper is to highlight key aspects to be considered from a radiopharmaceutical point of view when performing prospective multicentre clinical trials using short-lived PSMA-PET-radiopharmaceuticals as investigational medicinal product (IMP). Early prospective multicentre clinical trials are playing an increasingly important role in nuclear medicine translational research; in order to be able to establish new PET tracers with a short physical half-life (e. g. for prostate cancer diagnostics) in the regulatory approval process, nuclear medicine centres are working together across multiple sites in order to be able to achieve the required number of patients to be included within the clinical study in a reasonable time frame. In the following, we discuss the necessary regulatory environment for the preparation of PSMA PET-radiopharmaceuticals as corresponding investigational medicinal product (IMP) using the example of the prospective multicentre clinical trial (phases-I and -II) "[68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 in high-risk prostate cancer", and discuss regulatory and organisational issues that need to be taken into account in a decentralized PSMA-PET tracer production from the radiopharmacy perspective.

Impact of 18F-PSMA-1007 Uptake in Prostate Cancer Using Different Peptide Concentrations: Preclinical PET/CT Study on Mice.

PET radioligands with low molar activity (MA) may underestimate the quantity of the target of interest because of competitive binding of the target with unlabeled ligand. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in the whole-body distribution of 18F-PSMA-1007 targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) when solutions with different peptide concentrations are used. Methods: Mouse xenograft models of LNCaP (PSMA-positive prostate cancer) (n = 18) were prepared and divided into 3 groups according to the peptide concentration injected: a high-MA group (1,013 ± 146 GBq/µmol; n = 6), a medium-MA group (100.7 ± 23.1 GBq/µmol; n = 6), and a low-MA group (10.80 ± 2.84 GBq/µmol; n = 6). Static PET scans were performed 1 h after injection (scan duration, 10 min). SUVmean in tumor and normal organs was compared by the multiple-comparison test. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis were performed to confirm expression of PSMA in tumor, salivary gland, and kidney. Results: The low-MA group (SUVmean, 1.12 ± 0.30) showed significantly lower uptake of 18F-PSMA-1007 in tumor than did the high-MA group (1.97 ± 0.77) and the medium-MA group (1.81 ± 0.57). On the other hand, in salivary gland, both the low-MA group (SUVmean, 0.24 ± 0.04) and the medium-MA group (0.57 ± 0.08) showed significantly lower uptake than the high MA group (1.27 ± 0.28). The tumor-to-salivary gland SUVmean ratio was 1.73 ± 0.55 in the high-MA group, 3.16 ± 0.86 in the medium-MA group, and 4.78 ± 1.29 in the low-MA group. The immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis revealed significant overexpression of PSMA in tumor and low expression in salivary gland and kidney. Conclusion: A decrease in the MA level of the injected 18F-PSMA-1007 solution resulted in decreased uptake in tumor and, to a greater degree, in normal salivary gland. Thus, there is a possibility of minimizing the adverse effects in salivary gland by setting an appropriate MA level in PSMA-targeting therapy.

Detection Efficacy of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in 251 Patients with Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer After Radical Prostatectomy.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted PET imaging recently emerged as a new method for the staging and restaging of prostate cancer. Most published studies investigated the diagnostic potential of 68Ga-labeled PSMA agents that are excreted renally. 18F-PSMA-1007 is a novel PSMA ligand that has excellent preclinical characteristics and that is only minimally excreted by the urinary tract, a potential advantage for pelvic imaging. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-PSMA-1007 for biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy. Methods: From 3 academic centers, 251 patients with BCR after radical prostatectomy were evaluated in a retrospective analysis. Patients who had received second-line androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or chemotherapy were excluded, but prior first-line ADT exposure was allowed. The median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 1.2 ng/mL (range, 0.2-228 ng/mL). All patients underwent PSMA PET/CT at 92 ± 26 min after injection of 301 ± 46 MBq of 18F-PSMA-1007. The rate of detection of presumed recurrence sites was correlated with the PSA level and original primary Gleason score. A comparison to a subset of patients treated previously with ADT was undertaken. Results: Of the 251 patients, 204 (81.3%) had evidence of recurrence on 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT. The detection rates were 94.0% (79/84), 90.9% (50/55), 74.5% (35/47), and 61.5% (40/65) for PSA levels of greater than or equal to 2, 1 to less than 2, 0.5 to less than 1, and 0.2 to less than 0.5 ng/mL, respectively. 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT revealed local recurrence in 24.7% of patients (n = 62). Lymph node metastases were present in the pelvis in 40.6% of patients (n = 102), in the retroperitoneum in 19.5% of patients (n = 49), and in supradiaphragmatic locations in 12.0% of patients (n = 30). Bone and visceral metastases were detected in 40.2% of patients (n = 101) and in 3.6% of patients (n = 9), respectively. In tumors with higher Gleason scores (≤7 vs. ≥8), detection efficacy trended higher (76.3% vs. 86.7%) but was not statistically significant (P = 0.32). However, detection efficacy was higher in patients who had received ADT (91.7% vs. 78.0%) within 6 mo before imaging (P = 0.0179). Conclusion:18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT offers high detection rates for BCR after radical prostatectomy that are comparable to or better than those published for 68Ga-labeled PSMA ligands.

Tracer uptake in mediastinal and paraaortal thoracic lymph nodes as a potential pitfall in image interpretation of PSMA ligand PET/CT.

PURPOSE: Since the introduction of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT for imaging prostate cancer (PC) we have frequently observed mediastinal lymph nodes (LN) showing tracer uptake despite being classified as benign. The aim of this evaluation was to further analyze such LN. METHODS: Two patient groups with biphasic 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT at 1 h and 3 h p.i. were included in this retrospective evaluation. Group A (n = 38) included patients without LN metastases, and group B (n = 43) patients with LN metastases of PC. SUV of mediastinal/paraaortal LN of group A (n = 100) were compared to SUV of LN metastases of group B (n = 91). Additionally, 22 randomly selected mediastinal and paraaortal LN of patients without PC were immunohistochemically (IHC) analyzed for PSMA expression. RESULTS: In group A, 7/38 patients (18.4%) presented with at least one PSMA-positive mediastinal LN at 1 h p.i. and 3/38 (7.9%) positive LN at 3 h p.i. with a SUVmax of 2.3 ± 0.7 at 1 h p.i. (2.0 ± 0.7 at 3 h p.i.). A total of 11 PSMA-positive mediastinal/paraaortal LN were detected in nine patients considering both imaging timing points. SUVmax of LN-metastases was 12.5 ± 13.2 at 1 h p.i. (15.8 ± 17.0 at 3 h p.i.). SUVmax increased clearly (> 10%) between 1 h and 3 h p.i. in 76.9% of the LN metastases, and decreased significantly in 72.7% of the mediastinal/paraaortal LN. By IHC, PSMA-expression was observed in intranodal vascular endothelia of all investigated LN groups and to differing degrees within germinal centers of 15/22 of them (68.1%). Expression was stronger in mediastinal nodes (p = 0.038) and when follicular hyperplasia was present (p = 0.050). CONCLUSION: PSMA-positive mediastinal/paraaortal benign LN were visible in a notable proportion of patients. PSMA-positivity on the histopathological level was associated with the activation state of the LN. However, in contrast to LN metastases of PC, they presented with significantly lower uptake, which, in addition, usually decreased over time.

Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer: Initial Results with [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT.

Biochemical recurrence (BCR) is a concern for prostate cancer patients after local treatment. 68Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands have significantly improved prostate cancer imaging. However, several 18F-labeled ligands that were developed as fluorinated tracers might present advantages. In this study, we analyzed the potential of 18F-PSMA-1007 in patients with BCR. Methods: Twelve patients with BCR after local treatment underwent PET/CT scans 1 and 3 h after injection of 18F-PSMA-1007. Results:18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT detected lesions in 9 of 12 patients (75%). A significant difference was observed when comparing the tracer uptake in 18F-PSMA-1007-positive lesions 1 and 3 h after injection (median SUVmax, 7.00 vs. 11.34; P < 0.001; n = 76). Forty-four (88%) of 50 18F-PSMA-1007-positive lymph nodes had a short-axis diameter of less than 8 mm. Conclusion: In this pilot study, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT presented high potential for localization of recurrent disease in prostate cancer patients with BCR.

Intraindividual Comparison of 18F-PSMA-1007 and 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT in the Prospective Evaluation of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Prostate Carcinoma: A Pilot Study.

The introduction of 18F-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted PET/CT tracers, first 18F-DCFPyL (2-(3-{1-carboxy-5-[(6-18F-fluoro-pyridine-3-carbonyl)-amino]-pentyl}-ureido)-pentanedioic acid) and more recently 18F-PSMA-1007 (((3S,10S,14S)-1-(4-(((S)-4-carboxy-2-((S)-4-carboxy-2-(6-18F-fluoronicotinamido)butanamido)butanamido)methyl)phenyl)-3-(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-1,4,12-trioxo-2,5,11,13-tetraazahexadecane-10,14,16-tricarboxylic acid)), have demonstrated promising results for the diagnostic workup of prostate cancer. This clinical study presents an intraindividual comparison to evaluate tracer-specific characteristics of 18F-DCFPyL versus 18F-PSMA-1007. Methods: Twelve prostate cancer patients, drug-naïve or before surgery, received similar activities of about 250 MBq of 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-PSMA-1007 48 h apart and were imaged 2 h after injection on the same PET/CT scanner using the same reconstruction algorithm. Normal-organ biodistribution and tumor uptake were quantified using SUVmaxResults: PSMA-positive lesions were detected in 12 of 12 prostate cancer patients. Both tracers, 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-PSMA-1007, detected the same lesions. No statistical significance could be observed when comparing the SUVmax of 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-PSMA-1007 for local tumor, lymph node metastases, and bone metastases. With regard to normal organs, 18F-DCFPyL had statistically significant higher uptake in kidneys, urinary bladder, and lacrimal gland. Vice versa, significantly higher uptake of 18F-PSMA-1007 in muscle, submandibular and sublingual gland, spleen, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder was observed. Conclusion: Excellent imaging quality was achieved with both 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-PSMA-1007, resulting in identical clinical findings for the evaluated routine situations. Nonurinary excretion of 18F-PSMA-1007 might present some advantage with regard to delineation of local recurrence or pelvic lymph node metastasis in selected patients; the lower hepatic background might favor 18F-DCFPyL in late stages, when rare cases of liver metastases can occur.

Carbon ion radiotherapy: impact of tumor differentiation on local control in experimental prostate carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: To summarize the research activities of the "clinical research group heavy ion therapy", funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, KFO 214), on the impact of intrinsic tumor characteristics (grading, hypoxia) on local tumor control after carbon (12C-) ion- and photon irradiations. METHODS: Three sublines of syngeneic rat prostate tumors (R3327) with various differentiation levels (highly (-H), moderately (-HI) or anaplastic (-AT1), (diameter 10 mm) were irradiated with 1, 2 and 6 fractions of either 12C-ions or 6 MV photons using increasing dose levels. Primary endpoint was local tumor control at 300 days. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 12C-ions was calculated from TCD50-values (dose at 50% tumor control probability) of photons and 12C-ions and correlated with intrinsic tumor parameters. For the HI-subline, larger tumors (diameter 18 mm) were irradiated with either carbon ions, oxygen ions or photons under ambient as well as hypoxic conditions to determine the variability of the RBE under different oxygenation levels. In addition, imaging, histology and molecular analyses were performed to decipher the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: Experimental results revealed (i) a smaller variation of the TCD50-values between the three tumor sublines for 12C-ions (23.6 - 32.9 Gy) than for photons (38.2 - 75.7 Gy), (ii) steeper dose-response curves for 12C-ions, and (iii) an RBE that increased with tumor grading (1.62 ± 0.11 (H) vs 2.08 ± 0.13 (HI) vs 2.30 ± 0.08 (AT1)). Large HI-tumors resulted in a marked increase of TCD50, which was increased further by 15% under hypoxic relative to oxic conditions. Noninvasive imaging, histology and molecular analyses identified hypoxia as an important radioresistance factor in photon therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The dose-response studies revealed a higher efficacy of 12C-ions relative to photon therapy in the investigated syngeneic tumor model. Hypoxia turned out to be at least one important radioresistance factor, which can be partly overridden by high-LET ion beams. This might be used to increase treatment effectiveness also in patients. The results of this project served as a starting point for several ongoing research projects.

Procedures for the GMP-Compliant Production and Quality Control of [18F]PSMA-1007: A Next Generation Radiofluorinated Tracer for the Detection of Prostate Cancer.

Radiolabeled tracers targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have become important radiopharmaceuticals for the PET-imaging of prostate cancer. In this connection, we recently developed the fluorine-18-labelled PSMA-ligand [18F]PSMA-1007 as the next generation radiofluorinated Glu-ureido PSMA inhibitor after [18F]DCFPyL and [18F]DCFBC. Since radiosynthesis so far has been suffering from rather poor yields, novel procedures for the automated radiosyntheses of [18F]PSMA-1007 have been developed. We herein report on both the two-step and the novel one-step procedures, which have been performed on different commonly-used radiosynthesisers. Using the novel one-step procedure, the [18F]PSMA-1007 was produced in good radiochemical yields ranging from 25 to 80% and synthesis times of less than 55 min. Furthermore, upscaling to product activities up to 50 GBq per batch was successfully conducted. All batches passed quality control according to European Pharmacopoeia standards. Therefore, we were able to disclose a new, simple and, at the same time, high yielding production pathway for the next generation PSMA radioligand [18F]PSMA-1007. Actually, it turned out that the radiosynthesis is as easily realised as the well-known [18F]FDG synthesis and, thus, transferable to all currently-available radiosynthesisers. Using the new procedures, the clinical daily routine can be sustainably supported in-house even in larger hospitals by a single production batch.

Intraindividual Comparison of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, Multiparametric MRI, and Radical Prostatectomy Specimens in Patients with Primary Prostate Cancer: A Retrospective, Proof-of-Concept Study.

68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-11 PET/CT represents an advanced method for the staging of primary prostate cancer (PCa) and diagnosis of recurrent or metastatic PCa. However, because of the narrow availability of 68Ga the development of alternative tracers is of high interest. The objective of this study was to examine the value of the new PET tracer 18F-PSMA-1007 for the staging of local disease by comparing it with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) and radical prostatectomy (RP) histopathology. Methods: In 2016, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT was performed in 10 men with biopsy-confirmed high-risk PCa. Nine patients underwent mpMRI in the process of primary diagnosis. Consecutively, RP was performed in all 10 men. Agreement analysis was performed retrospectively. PSMA staining was added for representative sections in RP specimen slices. Localization and agreement analysis of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, mpMRI, and RP specimens was performed by dividing the prostate into 38 sections as described in the prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) (version 2). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values (NPVs), and accuracy were calculated for total and near-total agreement. Results:18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT had an NPV of 68% and an accuracy of 75%, and mpMRI had an NPV of 88% and an accuracy of 73% for total agreement. Near-total agreement analysis resulted in an NPV of 91% and an accuracy of 93% for 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT and 91% and 87% for mpMRI, respectively. Retrospective combination of mpMRI and PET/CT had an accuracy of 81% for total and 93% for near-total agreement. Conclusion: Comparison with RP histopathology demonstrates that 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT is promising for accurate local staging of PCa.

Diagnostic performance of 68Ga-PSMA-11 (HBED-CC) PET/CT in patients with recurrent prostate cancer: evaluation in 1007 patients.

PURPOSE: Since the clinical introduction of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, this imaging method has rapidly spread and is now regarded as a significant step forward in the diagnosis of recurrent prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of several variables with possible influence on PSMA ligand uptake in a large cohort. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 1007 consecutive patients who were scanned with 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT (1 h after injection) from January 2014 to January 2017 to detect recurrent disease. Patients with untreated primary PCa or patients referred for PSMA radioligand therapy were excluded. The possible effects of different variables including PSA level and PSA doubling time (PSADT), PSA velocity (PSAVel), Gleason score (GSC, including separate analysis of GSC 7a and 7b), ongoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), patient age and amount of injected activity were evaluated. RESULTS: In 79.5% of patients at least one lesion with characteristics suggestive of recurrent PCa was detected. A pathological (positive) PET/CT scan was associated with PSA level and ADT. GSC, amount of injected activity, patient age, PSADT and PSAVel were not associated with a positive PET/CT scan in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT detects tumour lesions in a high percentage of patients with recurrent PCa. Tumour detection is clearly associated with PSA level and ADT. Only a tendency for an association without statistical significance was found between higher GSC and a higher probability of a pathological PET/CT scan. No associations were found between a pathological 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scan and patient age, amount of injected activity, PSADT or PSAVel.

Preclinical Evaluation of 18F-PSMA-1007, a New Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Ligand for Prostate Cancer Imaging.

In recent years, several radiotracers targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have been introduced. Some of them have had a high clinical impact on the treatment of patients with prostate cancer. However, the number of 18F-labeled tracers addressing PSMA is still limited. Therefore, we aimed to develop a radiofluorinated molecule resembling the structure of therapeutic PSMA-617. Methods: The nonradioactive reference compound PSMA-1007 and the precursor were produced by solid-phase chemistry. The radioligand 18F-PSMA-1007 was produced by a 2-step procedure with the prosthetic group 6-18F-fluoronicotinic acid 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl ester. The binding affinity of the ligand for PSMA and its internalization properties were evaluated in vitro with PSMA-positive LNCaP (lymph node carcinoma of the prostate) cells. Further, organ distribution studies were performed with mice bearing LNCaP and PC-3 (prostate cancer cell line; PSMA-negative) tumors. Finally, small-animal PET imaging of an LNCaP tumor-bearing mouse was performed. Results: The identified ligand had a binding affinity of 6.7 ± 1.7 nM for PSMA and an exceptionally high internalization ratio (67% ± 13%) in vitro. In organ distribution studies, high and specific tumor uptake (8.0 ± 2.4 percentage injected dose per gram) in LNCaP tumor-bearing mice was observed. In the small-animal PET experiments, LNCaP tumors were clearly visualized. Conclusion: The radiofluorinated PSMA ligand showed promising characteristics in its preclinical evaluation, and the feasibility of prostate cancer imaging was demonstrated by small-animal PET studies. Therefore, we recommend clinical transfer of the radioligand 18F-PSMA-1007 for use as a diagnostic PET tracer in prestaging and monitoring of prostate cancer.

The Theranostic PSMA Ligand PSMA-617 in the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer by PET/CT: Biodistribution in Humans, Radiation Dosimetry, and First Evaluation of Tumor Lesions.

UNLABELLED: PET imaging with the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand (68)Ga-PSMA-11 is regarded as a significant step forward in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). More recently, a PSMA ligand was developed that can be labeled with (68)Ga, (111)In, (177)Lu, and (90)Y. This ligand, named PSMA-617, therefore enables both diagnosis and therapy of PCa. The aims of this evaluation were to clinically investigate the distribution of (68)Ga-PSMA-617 in normal tissues and in PCa lesions as well as to evaluate the radiation exposure by the radioligand in PET imaging. METHODS: Nineteen patients, most of them with recurrent PCa, were referred for (68)Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT. The quantitative assessment of tracer uptake of several organs and of 53 representative tumor lesions was performed in 15 patients at 1 and 3 h after injection. In 4 additional patients, the same procedure was conducted at 5 min, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 4 h, and 5 h after injection. On the basis of the data for these 4 patients (mean injected dose, 231 MBq), the radiation exposure of a (68)Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT was identified. RESULTS: Intense tracer uptake was observed in the kidneys and salivary glands. In 14 of 19 patients (73.7%), at least 1 lesion suspected of being a tumor was detected at 3 h after injection. Of 53 representative tumor lesions selected at 3 h after injection, 47 lesions were visible at 1 h after injection. The mean tumor-to-background ratio for maximum standardized uptake value was 20.4 ± 17.3 (range, 2.3-84.0) at 1 h after injection and 38.2 ± 38.6 (range, 3.6-154.3) at 3 h after injection. The average radiation exposure (effective dose) was approximately 0.021 mSv/MBq. CONCLUSION: Within healthy organs, the kidneys and salivary glands showed the highest (68)Ga-PSMA-617 uptake. The radiation exposure was relatively low. (68)Ga-PSMA-617 shows PCa lesions with high contrast. Images obtained between 2 and 3 h after injection seem to be the best option with regard to radiotracer uptake and tumor contrast. Later images can help to clarify unclear lesions.

Investigation of epothilone B-induced cell death mechanisms in human epithelial cancer cells -in consideration of combined treatment with ionizing radiation.

Epothilone B was shown to have promising chemo- and radiosensitizing effects on cells, but the mechanisms underlying cell death remain ambiguous. The aim of the study was to examine selected cell death pathways on the basis of FaDu and A549 cells. Western blot analyses were used for investigation of specific apoptotic markers. Immunofluorescence imaging and flow cytometry were utilized for examination of cell death mechanisms. DNA-staining was used for studying influence of epothilone B on micronucleus rate. We showed that epothilone B can initiate cell death via apoptosis and mitotic catastrophe, but induction of cell death was cell type specific.

Novel Preclinical and Radiopharmaceutical Aspects of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC: A New PET Tracer for Imaging of Prostate Cancer.

The detection of prostate cancer lesions by PET imaging of the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has gained highest clinical impact during the last years. 68Ga-labelled Glu-urea-Lys(Ahx)-HBED-CC ([68Ga]Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC) represents a successful novel PSMA inhibitor radiotracer which has recently demonstrated its suitability in individual first-in-man studies. The radiometal chelator HBED-CC used in this molecule represents a rather rarely used acyclic complexing agent with chemical characteristics favourably influencing the biological functionality of the PSMA inhibitor. The simple replacement of HBED-CC by the prominent radiometal chelator DOTA was shown to dramatically reduce the in vivo imaging quality of the respective 68Ga-labelled PSMA-targeted tracer proving that HBED-CC contributes intrinsically to the PSMA binding of the Glu-urea-Lys(Ahx) pharmacophore. Owing to the obvious growing clinical impact, this work aims to reflect the properties of HBED-CC as acyclic radiometal chelator and presents novel preclinical data and relevant aspects of the radiopharmaceutical production process of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC.

High management impact of Ga-68 DOTATATE (GaTate) PET/CT for imaging neuroendocrine and other somatostatin expressing tumours.

INTRODUCTION: Ga-68 DOTATATE (Ga-octreotate, GaTate) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT has multiple advantages compared with conventional and In-111 octreotide imaging for neuroendocrine tumours and other somatostatin-receptor expressing tumours. This study assesses the management impact of incremental diagnostic information obtained from this technique compared with conventional staging. METHODS: Fifty-nine GaTate PET/CT studies were performed over an 18-month period (52 proven or suspected gastro-entero-pancreatic or bronchial neuroendocrine tumours and seven neural crest/mesenchymal tumours). A retrospective blinded review was performed on the number of abnormalities (1, 2-5 or >5) within defined regions with comparison to conventional imaging to assess incremental diagnostic information. Subsequent management impact (high, moderate or low) was determined by clinical review and follow up to assess pre-PET stage, treatment intent and post-PET management change. RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent of GaTate studies were abnormal. Compared with conventional and In-111 octreotide imaging, additional information was provided by GaTate PET/CT in 68 and 83% of patients, respectively. Management impact was high (inter-modality change) in 47%, moderate (intra-modality change) in 10% and low in 41% (not assessable in 2%). High management impact included directing patients to curative surgery by identifying a primary site and directing patients with multiple metastases to systemic therapy. CONCLUSION: GaTate PET/CT imaging provides additional diagnostic information in a high proportion of patients with consequent high management impact. GaTate PET/CT could replace (1)In-111 octreotide scintigraphy at centres where it is available given its superior accuracy, faster acquisition and lower radiation exposure. Rapid implementation could be achieved by allowing substitutional funding in the Medicare Benefit Schedule.