Development of thiacrown ligands for encapsulation of mercury-197m/g into radiopharmaceuticals.

The theranostic pair mercury-197m and mercury-197g (Hg, = 23.8 h/64.14 h), through their γ rays and Meitner-Auger electron emissions, have potential use as constituents in radiopharmaceuticals to treat small metastatic tumours.

The HSmacropa Series: Increasing the Chemical Softness of Hmacropa with Sulfur Atoms to Chelate Radiometals [Bi]Bi and [Pb]Pb for Radiopharmaceutical Applications.

The effects of replacing nitrogen with sulfur atoms in the 18-membered macrocycle of the Hmacropa chelator on the binding affinity and stability of "intermediate" (radio)metal [Pb]Pb and [Bi]Bi complexes are investigated. The 1,4,10,13-tetraoxo-7,16-diazacyclooctadecane backbone was replaced with derivatives containing sulfur in the 1,4- or the 1,4,10,13-positions to yield the novel chelators HSmacropa (NOS) and HSmacropa (NOS), respectively. Trends on the Pb- and Bi-complex stability constants, coordination chemistry, radiolabeling, and kinetic inertness were assessed via potentiometric titrations, UV-vis spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

From cyclotrons to chromatography and beyond: a guide to the production and purification of theranostic radiometals.

Recent clinical success with metal-based radiopharmaceuticals has sparked an interest in the potential of these drugs for personalized medicine. Although often overlooked, the success and global impact of nuclear medicine is contingent upon the purity and availability of medical isotopes, commonly referred to as radiometals. For nuclear medicine to reach its true potential and change patient lives, novel production and purification techniques that increase inventory of radiometals are desperately needed.

Chemistry of Antimony in Radiopharmaceutical Development: Unlocking the Theranostic Potential of Sb Isotopes.

Antimony-119 (Sb) holds promise for radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT), emitting short-range Auger and conversion electrons that can deliver cytotoxic radiation on a cellular level. While it has high promise theoretically, experimental validation is necessary for Sb in vivo applications. Current Sb production and separation methods face robustness and compatibility challenges in radiopharmaceutical synthesis.

Capturing Mercury-197m/g for Auger Electron Therapy and Cancer Theranostic with Sulfur-Containing Cyclen-Based Macrocycles.

The interest in mercury radioisotopes, Hg ( = 23.8 h) and Hg ( = 64.14 h), has recently been reignited by the dual diagnostic and therapeutic nature of their nuclear decays.

Incorporation of Carboxylate Pendant Arms into 18-Membered Macrocycles: Effects on [Pb]Pb(II) Complexation.

We present a detailed investigation on the coordination chemistry of [Pb]Pb(II) with chelators HPYTA and HCHX-PYTA. These chelators belong to the family of ligands derived from the 18-membered macrocyclic backbone PYAN and present varying degrees of rigidity due to the presence of either ethyl or cyclohexyl spacers. A complete study of the stable Pb(II) complexes is carried out via NMR, X-Ray crystallography, stability constant determination and computational studies.

"Off-Label Use" of the Siderophore Enterobactin Enables Targeted Imaging of Cancer with Radioactive Ti.

The development of inert, biocompatible chelation methods is required to harness the emerging positron emitting radionuclide Ti for radiopharmaceutical applications. Herein, we evaluate the Ti-coordination chemistry of four catechol-based, hexacoordinate chelators using synthetic, structural, computational, and radiochemical approaches. The siderophore enterobactin (Ent) and its synthetic mimic TREN-CAM readily form mononuclear Ti species in aqueous solution at neutral pH.

Exploration of commercial cyclen-based chelators for mercury-197 m/g incorporation into theranostic radiopharmaceuticals.

A comprehensive investigation of the Hg coordination chemistry and Hg radiolabeling capabilities of cyclen-based commercial chelators, namely, DOTA and DOTAM (aka TCMC), along with their bifunctional counterparts, -SCN-Bn-DOTA and -SCN-Bn-TCMC, was conducted to assess the suitability of these frameworks as bifunctional chelators for the Hg theranostic pair. Radiolabeling studies revealed that TCMC and DOTA exhibited low radiochemical yields (0%-6%), even when subjected to harsh conditions (80°C) and high ligand concentrations (10 M). In contrast, -SCN-Bn-TCMC and -SCN-Bn-DOTA demonstrated significantly higher Hg radiochemical yields (100% ± 0.

Evaluation of a novel hexadentate 1,2-hydroxypyridinone-based acyclic chelate, HOPO-O-C4, for Sc/Sc, Ga, and Ti radiopharmaceuticals.

Introduction: Chelators play a crucial role in the development of metal-based radiopharmaceuticals, and with the continued interest in Ga and increasing availability of new radiometals such as Sc/Sc and Ti, there is a growing demand for tailored chelators that can form stable complexes with these metals. This work reports the synthesis and characterization of a hexadentate tris-1,2-hydroxypyridonone chelator HOPO-O-C4 and its in vitro and in vivo evaluation with the above mentioned radiometals.

Methods: To investigate the affinity of HOPO-O-C4, macroscopic studies were performed with Sc, and Ga followed by DFT structural optimization of the Sc, Ga and Ti complexes.

Tuning the Softness of the Pendant Arms and the Polyazamacrocyclic Backbone to Chelate the Pb/Pb Theranostic Pair.

A series of macrocyclic ligands were considered for the chelation of Pb: 1,4,7,10-tetrakis[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (DO4S), 1,4,7-tris[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (DO3S), 1,4,7-tris[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-10-acetamido-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (DO3SAm), 1,7-bis[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-4,10-diacetic acid (DO2A2S), 1,5,9-tris[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-1,5,9-triazacyclododecane (TACD3S), 1,4,7,10-tetrakis[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetrazacyclotridecane (TRI4S), and 1,4,8,11-tetrakis[2-(methylsulfanyl)ethyl]-1,4,8,11-tetrazacyclotetradecane (TE4S). The equilibrium, the acid-mediated dissociation kinetics, and the structural properties of the Pb complexes formed by these chelators were examined by UV-Visible and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies, combined with potentiometry and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The obtained results indicated that DO4S, DO3S, DO3SAm, and DO2A2S were able to efficiently chelate Pb and that the most suitable macrocyclic scaffold for Pb is 1,4,7,10-tetrazacyclododecane.

Optimized production, purification, and radiolabeling of the Pb/Pb theranostic pair for nuclear medicine.

TRIUMF is one of the only laboratories in the world able to produce both lead-203 (Pb, t = 51.9 h) and Pb (t = 10.6 h) onsite via its 13 and 500 MeV cyclotrons, respectively.

Production and radiochemistry of antimony-120m: Efforts toward Auger electron therapy with Sb.

Targeted Meitner-Auger Therapy (TMAT) has potential for personalized treatment thanks to its subcellular dosimetric selectivity, which is distinct from the dosimetry of β and α particle emission based Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT). To date, most clinical and preclinical TMAT studies have used commercially available radionuclides. These studies showed promising results despite using radionuclides with theoretically suboptimal photon to electron ratios, decay kinetics, and electron emission spectra.

Selective Chelation of the Exotic Meitner-Auger Emitter Mercury-197 m/g with Sulfur-Rich Macrocyclic Ligands: Towards the Future of Theranostic Radiopharmaceuticals.

Mercury-197 m/g are a promising pair of radioactive isomers for incorporation into a theranostic as they can be used as a diagnostic agent using SPECT imaging and a therapeutic via Meitner-Auger electron emissions. However, the current absence of ligands able to stably coordinate Hg to a tumour-targeting vector precludes their use in vivo. To address this, we report herein a series of sulfur-rich chelators capable of incorporating Hg into a radiopharmaceutical.

Comparative Study of a Decadentate Acyclic Chelate, HOPO-O, and Its Octadentate Analogue, HOPO-O, for Radiopharmaceutical Applications.

Radiolanthanides and actinides are aptly suited for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer via nuclear medicine because they possess unique chemical and physical properties (e.g., radioactive decay emissions).

Determination of distribution coefficients of mercury and gold on selected extraction chromatographic resins - towards an improved separation method of mercury-197 from proton-irradiated gold targets.

Radioisotope mercury-197g (Hg, half-life: 64.14 h) along with its metastable isomer (Hg, half-life: 23.8 h) are potential candidates for targeted Meitner-Auger electron therapy due to their suitable decay properties.

An alternative radiochemical separation strategy for isolation of Ac and Ra isotopes from high energy proton irradiated thorium targets for further application in Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT).

Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) has shown very high potential for the treatment of cancers that were not responsive to other therapy options (e.g., β therapy and chemotherapy).

Evaluation of the Effect of Macrocyclic Ring Size on [Pb]Pb(II) Complex Stability in Pyridyl-Containing Chelators.

As an element-equivalent theranostic pair, lead-203 (Pb, 100% EC, half-life = 51.92 h) and lead-212 (Pb, 100% β, half-life = 10.64 h), through the emission of γ rays and an α particle in its decay chain, respectively, can aid in the development of personalized targeted radionuclide treatment for advanced and currently untreatable cancers.

Development of a multi faceted platform containing a tetrazine, fluorophore and chelator: synthesis, characterization, radiolabeling, and immuno-SPECT imaging.

Background: Combining optical (fluorescence) imaging with nuclear imaging has the potential to offer a powerful tool in personal health care, where nuclear imaging offers in vivo functional whole-body visualization, and the fluorescence modality may be used for image-guided tumor resection. Varying chemical strategies have been exploited to fuse both modalities into one molecular entity. When radiometals are employed in nuclear imaging, a chelator is typically inserted into the molecule to facilitate radiolabeling; the availability of the chelator further expands the potential use of these platforms for targeted radionuclide therapy if a therapeutic radiometal is employed.

Implications of physics, chemistry and biology for dosimetry calculations using theranostic pairs.

Theranostics is an emerging paradigm that combines imaging and therapy in order to personalize patient treatment. In nuclear medicine, this is achieved by using radiopharmaceuticals that target identical molecular targets for both imaging (using emitted gamma rays) and radiopharmaceutical therapy (using emitted beta, alpha or Auger-electron particles) for the treatment of various diseases, such as cancer. If the therapeutic radiopharmaceutical cannot be imaged quantitatively, a "theranostic pair" imaging surrogate can be used to predict the absorbed radiation doses from the therapeutic radiopharmaceutical.

Chelating the Alpha Therapy Radionuclides Ac and Bi with 18-Membered Macrocyclic Ligands Macrodipa and Py-Macrodipa.

The radionuclides Ac and Bi possess favorable physical properties for targeted alpha therapy (TAT), a therapeutic approach that leverages α radiation to treat cancers. A chelator that effectively binds and retains these radionuclides is required for this application. The development of ligands for this purpose, however, is challenging because the large ionic radii and charge-diffuse nature of these metal ions give rise to weaker metal-ligand interactions.

Harnessing -Emitting Radionuclides for Therapy: Radiolabeling Method Review.

Targeted α-therapy (TAT) is an emerging powerful tool treating late-stage cancers for which therapeutic options are limited. At the core of TAT are targeted radiopharmaceuticals, where isotopes are paired with targeting vectors to enable tissue- or cell-specific delivery of α-emitters. DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) and DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) are commonly used to chelate metallic radionuclides but have limitations.

Production and Supply of α-Particle-Emitting Radionuclides for Targeted α-Therapy.

Encouraging results from targeted α-therapy have received significant attention from academia and industry. However, the limited availability of suitable radionuclides has hampered widespread translation and application. In the present review, we discuss the most promising candidates for clinical application and the state of the art of their production and supply.

Py-Macrodipa: A Janus Chelator Capable of Binding Medicinally Relevant Rare-Earth Radiometals of Disparate Sizes.

Nuclear medicine leverages different types of radiometals for disease diagnosis and treatment, but these applications usually require them to be stably chelated. Given the often-disparate chemical properties of these radionuclides, it is challenging to find a single chelator that binds all of them effectively. Toward addressing this problem, we recently reported a macrocyclic chelator macrodipa with an unprecedented "dual-size-selectivity" pattern for lanthanide (Ln) ions, characterized by its high affinity for both the large and the small Ln ( , 2020, 142, 13500).

Synthesis and Evaluation of Bifunctional [2.2.2]-Cryptands for Nuclear Medicine Applications.

For the first time, synthesis of bifunctional [2.2.2]-cryptands (CRYPT) and demonstration of radiolabeling with lead(II) (Pb) isotopes are disclosed herein.

Tuning the Kinetic Inertness of Bi Complexes: The Impact of Donor Atoms on Diaza-18-Crown-6 Ligands as Chelators for Bi Targeted Alpha Therapy.

The radionuclide Bi can be applied for targeted α therapy (TAT): a type of nuclear medicine that harnesses α particles to eradicate cancer cells. To use this radionuclide for this application, a bifunctional chelator (BFC) is needed to attach it to a biological targeting vector that can deliver it selectively to cancer cells. Here, we investigated six macrocyclic ligands as potential BFCs, fully characterizing the Bi complexes by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis.