0000000000733147
AUTHOR
Emma Renard
Design of Bimodal Ligands of Neurotensin Receptor 1 for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging and Fluorescence-Guided Surgery of Pancreatic Cancer
International audience; Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) is overexpressed in most human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. It makes it an attractive target for the development of pancreatic cancer imaging agents. In this study, we sought to develop a bimodal PET-fluorescent imaging agent capable of specifically targeting these receptors. Starting from the structure of a known NTSR1 agonist, a series of tracers was synthesized, radiometalated with gallium-68 and evaluated in vitro and in vivo, in mice bearing an AsPC-1 xenograft. PET imaging allowed us to identify the compound [ 68 Ga]Ga-NODAGA-Lys(Cy5**)-AEEAc-[Me-Arg 8 , Tle 12 ]-NT(7-13) as the one with the most promising biodistribution pr…
Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Neurotensin Receptor-Positive Tumors with 68 Ga-Labeled Antagonists: The Chelate Makes the Difference Again
Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTS1) is involved in the development and progression of numerous cancers, which makes it an interesting target for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. A small molecule NTS1 antagonist, named [177Lu]Lu-IPN01087, is currently evaluated in phase I/II clinical trials for the targeted therapy of neurotensin receptor-positive cancers. In this study, we synthesized seven compounds based on the structure of NTS1 antagonists, bearing different chelating agents, and radiolabeled them with gallium-68 for PET imaging. These compounds were evaluated in vitro and in vivo in mice bearing a HT-29 xenograft. The compound [68Ga]Ga-bisNODAGA-16 showed a promising biod…
Site-Specific Dual-Labeling of a VHH with a Chelator and a Photosensitizer for Nuclear Imaging and Targeted Photodynamic Therapy of EGFR-Positive Tumors
Simple Summary Variable domains of heavy chain only antibodies are small proteins that can be used for tumor imaging and therapy upon conjugation of functional groups. As frequently used random conjugation techniques can decrease binding to the target of interest, site-specific conjugation of these functional groups is preferred. Here, we optimized site-specific conjugation of both a chelator for binding of a radiometal and a photosensitizer to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) binding VHH 7D12. We characterized this dual-labeled VHH for nuclear imaging and targeted photodynamic therapy of EGFR-expressing tumors. Abstract Variable domains of heavy chain only antibodies (VHHs) are valu…
Design of molecular imaging and theranostic agents for the detection and targeted therapy of cancers
Despite significant advances in cancer detection and treatment, cancer is now the second leading cause of death worldwide. The aim of this thesis project was to design and optimize imaging agents for the diagnosis and/or therapy of various cancers.The first axis of this thesis focused on the development of a bimodal PET/fluorescence imaging agent capable of targeting neurotensin NTS1 receptors overexpressed in certain cancers. PET imaging would allow efficient detection of tumors and their metastases, while fluorescence imaging would facilitate the evaluation of tumor margins during surgery. Several compounds were synthesized, labelled with gallium-68 and studied in preclinical studies in a…