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Synthesis and application of cNGR-containing imaging agents for detection of angiogenesis
Ingrid Dijkgraaf1, Pieter Van de Vijver, Anouk Dirksen
1Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. I.Dijkgraaf@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Abstract:
Angiogenesis is a multi-step process regulated by pro- and anti-angiogenic factors. Inhibition of angiogenesis is a potential anti cancer treatment strategy that is now investigated clinically. In addition, advances in the understanding of the angiogenic process have led to the development of new angiogenesis therapies for ischemic heart disease. Currently, researchers search for objective measures that indicate pharmacological responses to pro- and anti-angiogenic drugs and therefore, there is a great interest in techniques to visualize angiogenesis noninvasively. As CD13 is selectively expressed in angiogenic blood vessels, it can serve as a target for molecular imaging tracers to noninvasively visualize angiogenic processes in animal models and patients. Here, an overview on the currently used CD13 targeted molecular imaging probes for noninvasive visualization of angiogenesis is given.
Insights
CD13-targeted molecular imaging probes offer a noninvasive method to visualize angiogenesis. This approach aids in assessing drug responses for cancer and heart disease therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical imaging
- Molecular biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is crucial in diseases like cancer and ischemic heart disease.
- Current treatments target angiogenesis, but objective measures to track drug efficacy are needed.
- Noninvasive visualization techniques are essential for monitoring therapeutic responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of CD13-targeted molecular imaging probes.
- To highlight their role in noninvasively visualizing angiogenesis.
- To discuss their application in assessing therapeutic responses.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on CD13-targeted molecular imaging probes.
- Analysis of probe selectivity for angiogenic blood vessels.
- Discussion of noninvasive visualization techniques in preclinical and clinical settings.
Main Results:
- CD13 is selectively expressed on angiogenic blood vessels.
- CD13-targeted probes enable noninvasive visualization of angiogenesis.
- These probes can serve as imaging biomarkers for therapeutic evaluation.
Conclusions:
- CD13-targeted molecular imaging represents a promising strategy for visualizing angiogenesis.
- This approach facilitates objective assessment of anti-angiogenic and pro-angiogenic therapies.
- Further development and clinical translation of these probes are warranted.
