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Purpose: Positron emission tomography with the radioligand [¹¹C]D-deprenyl has shown an increased signal at the location of pain in patients with ankle sprains, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic whiplash injury, but the mechanism of this tracer uptake and its exact binding site in inflammation or tissue injury is still unclear. The aim of this study was to further evaluate [¹¹C]D-deprenyl´s usefulness as a marker of acute inflammation.

Methods: An animal PET/CT study was performed three days after the induction of a rat model of inflammatory or surgical pain. Fourteen adult male Sprague-Dawley rats and three tracers [¹¹C]D-deprenyl, [¹¹C]L-dideuterumdeprenyl and [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose were used.

Results: No [¹¹C]D-deprenyl accumulation was seen in a rat model of musculoskeletal pain. In the rat model of inflammatory pain all three ligands were shown to visualize the inflamed ankle joint with much lower uptake in the control ankle joint. The uptake was largest with [¹¹C]D-deprenyl and [¹¹C]L- dideuteriumdeprenyl, where approximately 1 % of the injected dose could be found in the affected ankle joint during the first minutes, whereas the uptake of [¹⁸F]FDG was approximately 0.5 % of the injected dose. However, the ratio of uptake of the injected ankle joint versus the control ankle joint was much higher for [¹⁸F]FDG (around 10 fold increase) than for the two deprenyl enantiomers (2 – 3 fold increase). The uptake pattern of [¹¹C]D-deprenyl and [¹¹C]L-dideuteriumdeprenyl did not show signs of specific binding or irreversible trapping.

Conclusions: Contrary to our expectations, of the three tracers only [¹⁸F]FDG may be used as markers of peripheral inflammation in a rat model of inflammatory pain. However, as a high site-specificity is required, [¹¹C]D-deprenyl and [¹¹C]L-dideyteriumdeprenyl deserve further exploration regarding sensitivity, specificity and uptake mechanisms in human pain syndromes.

The understanding of etiological mechanisms of whiplash associated disorder is still inadequate. Objective visualization and quantification of peripheral musculoskeletal injury and possible painful inflammation in whiplash associated disorder would facilitate diagnosis, strengthen patients’ subjective pain reports and aid clinical decisions eventually leading to better treatments. In the current study, we further evaluated the potential to use [¹¹C]D-deprenyl PET/CT to visualize inflammation after whiplash injury. Sixteen patients with whiplash injury grade II were recruited at the emergency department and underwent [¹¹C]D-deprenyl PET/CT in the acute phase and at 6 months after injury. Subjective pain levels, self rated neck disability and active cervical range of motion were recorded at each imaging session. Results showed that the molecular aspects of inflammation and possible tissue injuries after acute whiplash injury could be visualized, objectively quantified and followed over time with [¹¹C]-D-deprenyl PET/CT. An altered [¹¹C]D-deprenyl uptake in the cervical bone structures and facet joints was associated with subjective pain levels and self rated disability during both imaging occasions. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of affected peripheral structures in whiplash injury and strengthens the idea that PET/CT detectable organic lesions in peripheral tissue may be relevant for the development of persistent pain and disability in whiplash injury.

Perspective: This article presents a novel way of objectively visualizing possible structural damage and inflammation that cause pain and disability in whiplash injury. This PET method can bring an advance in pain research and eventually would facilitate the clinical management of patients in pain.

Affibody molecules (6-7 kDa) are a new class of small robust three-helical scaffold proteins. Radiolabeled subnanomolar anti-HER2 affibody Z(HER2:342) was developed for imaging of HER2 expression in tumors, and a clinical study has demonstrated that the In-111- and Ga-68-labeled affibody molecules can efficiently detect HER2 expressing metastases in breast cancer patients. However, a significant renal accumulation of radioactivity after systemic injection of a radiolabeled anti-HER2 affibody conjugate is observed. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of renal reabsorption of anti-HER2 affibody at the molecular level. Renal accumulation of radiolabeled anti-HER2 affibody molecules was studied in a murine model and in vitro using opossum-derived proximal tubule (OK) cells. It was found that kidney reabsorption of affibody molecule was not driven by megalin/cubilin. Amino acids in the target-binding side of affibody molecule were involved in binding to OK cells. On OK cells, two types of receptors for anti-HER2 affibody molecule were found: K-D1 = 0.8 nM, B-max1 = 71,500 and K-D2 = 9.2 nM, B-max2 = 367,000. The results of the present study indicate that affibody molecule and other scaffold-based targeting proteins with a relatively low kidney uptake can be selected using in vitro studies with tubular kidney cells.

Affibody molecules are small (7 kDa) nonimmunoglobulin scaffold proteins with favorable tumor-targeting properties. Studies concerning the influence of chelators on biodistribution of ^99mTc-labeled Affibody molecules demonstrated that the variant with a C-terminal glycyl-glycyl-glycyl-cysteine peptide–based chelator (designated Z_HER2:V2) has the best biodistribution profile in vivo and the lowest renal retention of radioactivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate ¹⁸⁸Re-Z_HER2:V2 as a potential candidate for radionuclide therapy of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)–expressing tumors.

Methods:

Z_HER2:V2 was labeled with ¹⁸⁸Re using a gluconate-containing kit. Targeting of HER2-overexpressing SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma xenografts in nude mice was studied for a dosimetry assessment.

Results:

Binding of ¹⁸⁸Re-Z_HER2:V2 to living SKOV-3 cells was demonstrated to be specific, with an affinity of 6.4 ± 0.4 pM. The biodistribution study showed a rapid blood clearance (1.4 ± 0.1 percentage injected activity per gram [%ID/g] at 1 h after injection). The tumor uptake was 14 ± 2, 12 ± 2, 5 ± 2, and 1.8 ± 0.5 %IA/g at 1, 4, 24, and 48 h after injection, respectively. The in vivo targeting of HER2-expressing xenografts was specific. Already at 4 h after injection, tumor uptake exceeded kidney uptake (2.1 ± 0.2 %IA/g). Scintillation-camera imaging showed that tumor xenografts were the only sites with prominent accumulation of radioactivity at 4 h after injection. Based on the biokinetics, a dosimetry evaluation for humans suggests that ¹⁸⁸Re-Z_HER2:V2 would provide an absorbed dose to tumor of 79 Gy without exceeding absorbed doses of 23 Gy to kidneys and 2 Gy to bone marrow. This indicates that future human radiotherapy studies may be feasible.

Conclusion:

¹⁸⁸Re-Z_HER2:V2 can deliver high absorbed doses to tumors without exceeding kidney and bone marrow toxicity limits.

Combining MRI morphological data with functional PET data offers significant advantages in research as well as in many clinical situations. Automatic methods are needed, however, to coregister the data from the two modalities.

METHODS:

Simulated PET images were created by simple and automatic segmentation of MR images followed by the assignment of different uptake values to various tissue types. The simulated PET images were registered to actual PET images using a pixel-by-pixel, PET-PET registration method. The transformation matrix was then applied to the MR images. The method was used to register MRI data to PET transmission scans and emission scans obtained with FDG, nomifensine and raclopride. Validation was performed by comparing the results to those obtained by matching internal points manually defined in both volumes.

RESULTS:

Emission and transmission PET images were successfully registered to MR data. Comparison to the manual method indicated a registration accuracy on the order of 1-2 mm in each direction. No difference in accuracy between the different tracers was found. The error sensitivity for the method's assumptions seemed to be sufficiently low to allow complete automation of the method.

CONCLUSION:

We present a rapid, robust and fully automated method to register PET and MR brain images with sufficient accuracy for most clinical applications.

Expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 3 (HER3) in malignant tumors has been associated with resistance to a variety of anticancer therapies. Several anti-HER3 monoclonal antibodies are currently under pre-clinical and clinical development aiming to overcome HER3-mediated resistance. Radionuclide molecular imaging of HER3 expression may improve treatment by allowing the selection of suitable patients for HER3-targeted therapy. Affibody molecules are a class of small (7 kDa) high-affinity targeting proteins with appreciable potential as molecular imaging probes. In a recent study, we selected affibody molecules with affinity to HER3 at a low picomolar range. The aim of the present study was to develop an anti-HER3 affibody molecule suitable for labeling with radiometals. The HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA and HEHEHE-Z08699-NOTA HER3-specific affibody molecules were labeled with indium-111 (In-111) and assessed in vitro and in vivo for imaging properties using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Labeling of HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA and HEHEHE-Z08699-NOTA with In-111 provided stable conjugates. In vitro cell tests demonstrated specific binding of the two conjugates to HER3-expressing BT-474 breast carcinoma cells. In mice bearing BT-474 xenografts, the tumor uptake of the two conjugates was receptor-specific. Direct in vivo comparison of In-111-HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA and In-111-HEHEHE-Z08699-NOTA demonstrated that the two conjugates provided equal radioactivity uptake in tumors, although the tumor-to-blood ratio was improved for In-111-HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA [12 +/- 3 vs. 8 +/- 1,4 h post injection (p.i)] due to more efficient blood clearance. In-111-HEHEHE-Z08698-NOTA is a promising candidate for imaging of HER3-expression in malignant tumors using SPECT. Results of the present study indicate that this conjugate could be used for patient stratification for anti-HER3 therapy.

Cardiac amyloidosis is a differential diagnosis in heart failure and is associated with high mortality. There is currently no noninvasive imaging test available for specific diagnosis. N-[methyl-¹¹C]2-(4′-methylamino-phenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole (¹¹C-PIB) PET is used in the evaluation of brain amyloidosis. We evaluated the potential use of ¹¹C-PIB PET in systemic amyloidosis affecting the heart.

Methods:

Patients (n = 10) diagnosed with systemic amyloidosis—including heart involvement of either monoclonal immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) or transthyretin (ATTR) type—and healthy volunteers (n = 5) were investigated with PET/CT using ¹¹C-PIB to study cardiac amyloid deposits and with ¹¹C-acetate to measure myocardial blood flow to study the impact of global and regional perfusion on PIB retention.

Results:

Myocardial ¹¹C-PIB uptake was visually evident in all patients 15–25 min after injection and was not seen in any volunteer. A significant difference in ¹¹C-PIB retention in the heart between patients and healthy controls was found. The data indicate that myocardial amyloid deposits in patients diagnosed with systemic amyloidosis could be visualized with ¹¹C-PIB. No correlation between ¹¹C-PIB retention index and myocardial blood flow as measured with ¹¹C-acetate was found on the global level, whereas a positive correlation on the segmental level was seen in a single patient.

Conclusion:

¹¹C-PIB and PET could be a method to study systemic amyloidosis of type AL and ATTR affecting the heart and should be investigated further both as a diagnostic tool and as a noninvasive method for treatment follow-up.

l-2,4-Diamino[4-¹¹C]butyric acid (DAB) was synthesized by an enzyme catalysed carrier added (0.1 μmol KCN) reaction of hydrogen [¹¹C]cyanide with O-acetyl-l-serine followed by reduction. l-[¹¹C]DAB was obtained with a radiochemical purity higher than 96% and with a decay corrected radiochemical yield of 30–40% within a 32 min reaction time. The enantiomeric excess was 98%. The uptake of l-[¹¹C]DAB was investigated in multicellular aggregates of six different cell lines and animal tumour models. l-[¹¹C]DAB is potentially useful for the assessment of pharmacokinetics of l-DAB in vivo for part of its evaluation as an antitumoural agent, although its use for diagnostic purposes seems limited.