Synthesis of hexa aza cages, SarAr-NCS and AmBaSar and a study of their metal complexation, conjugation to nanomaterials and proteins for application in radioimaging and therapy.

A novel hexa aza cage, N(1)-(4-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-3,6,10,13,16,19-hexaazabicyclo[6.6.6]icosane-1,8-diamine (SarAr-NCS) was synthesized in good yield and characterized by (1)H NMR and electrospray mass spectrometry.

Optimizing radiolabeling amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles using SarAr-NCS for applications in imaging and radiotherapy.

Silica nanoparticles functionalized with amine groups and in the size range of approximately 60-94 nm were produced by combining sol-gel processing and emulsion technology. Hexa-aza cage ligand SarAr-NCS was conjugated to the silica nanoparticles and subsequently radiolabeled with a solution of (57)Co(2+)-doped carrier Co(2+). The number of Co(2+) ions bound to the silica particles at pH 7 was used to determine the average number of available SarAr-NCS ligands conjugated to a silica particle.

Investigating the binding properties of porous drug delivery systems using nuclear sensors (radiotracers) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy--predicting conditions for optimum performance.

Understanding how the size, charge and number of available pores in porous material influences the uptake and release properties is important for optimising their design and ultimately their application. Unfortunately there are no standard methods for screening porous materials in solution and therefore formulations must be developed for each encapsulated agent. This study investigates the potential of a library of radiotracers (nuclear sensors) for assessing the binding properties of hollow silica shell materials.

Influence of valency and labelling chemistry on in vivo targeting using radioiodinated HER2-binding Affibody molecules.

Purpose: HER2 is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase, which is overexpressed in a number of carcinomas. The Affibody molecule Z(HER2:342) is a small (7 kDa) affinity protein binding to HER2 with an affinity of 22 pM. The goal of this study was to evaluate the use of ((4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl)maleimide (HPEM) for radioiodination of Z(HER2:342) and to compare the targeting properties of monomeric and dimeric forms of Z(HER2:342).

Evaluation of ((4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl)maleimide for site-specific radiobromination of anti-HER2 affibody.

Affibody molecules are a new class of small phage-display selected proteins using a scaffold domain of the bacterial receptor protein A. They can be selected for specific binding to a large variety of protein targets. An affibody molecule binding with high affinity to a tumor antigen HER2 was recently developed for radionuclide diagnostics and therapy in vivo.

Radiobromination of humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab using N-succinimidyl 5-bromo-3-pyridinecarboxylate, a potential label for immunoPET.

Combining the specificity of radioimmunoscintigraphy and the high sensitivity of PET in an in vivo detection technique could improve the quality of nuclear diagnostics. Positron-emitting nuclide (76)Br (T(1/2)=16.2 h) might be a possible candidate for labeling monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and their fragments, provided that the appropriate labeling chemistry has been established.

Synthesis and radioiodination of some daunorubicin and doxorubicin derivatives.

Daunorubicin and doxorubicin are efficient agents for cancer treatment. Their clinical efficacy is, however, hampered by their indiscriminant toxicity. This problem may be circumvented by encapsulating the drugs in liposomes and selectively targeting the tumor cells using tumor targeting agents.