Visualizing Cytokeratin-14 Levels in Basal-Like Breast Cancer via ImmunoSPECT Imaging.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Oncology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Cytokeratin-14 (CK14) is crucial for epithelial cell structure and is elevated in basal-like breast cancer (BLBC).
• Accurate visualization of CK14 levels is important for BLBC diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel imaging tracer for visualizing CK14 expression in BLBC.
• To assess the specificity and efficacy of the 99mTc-HYNIC-Anti-CK14 mAb for immunoSPECT imaging.

Main Methods:

• Production and purification of an anti-CK14 monoclonal antibody.
• Labeling the antibody with 99mTc and characterizing the tracer (99mTc-HYNIC-Anti-CK14 mAb).
• In vitro (cell uptake, blocking studies) and in vivo (SPECT imaging, biodistribution) evaluation in BLBC models.

Main Results:

• Western blotting and immunohistochemistry confirmed higher CK14 expression in MDA-MB-468 cells/tumors than MDA-MB-231.
• The 99mTc-HYNIC-Anti-CK14 mAb demonstrated high binding specificity to CK14+ BLBC cells.
• SPECT imaging revealed significantly higher radioactivity accumulation in MDA-MB-468 tumors, with specificity confirmed by blocking studies.

Conclusions:

• A novel CK14-targeting tracer, 99mTc-HYNIC-Anti-CK14 mAb, was successfully developed.
• The tracer exhibits high binding affinity and specificity for CK14-positive tumors.
• This agent holds significant potential for immunoSPECT imaging of BLBC.