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Updated: Jul 17, 2025
Development of a 68Gallium-Labeled D-Peptide PET Tracer for Imaging Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Expression
Published on: February 3, 2023
An overview of current advances of PD-L1 targeting immuno-imaging in cancers
Yunhao Chen1, Yujiao Guo2, Zhiguo Liu3
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong University Cancer Center; Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China.
Abstract:
The programmed death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway plays a significant role in immune evasion. PD-1 or PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a standard treatment for multiple types of cancer. To date, PD-L1 has served as a biomarker for predicting the efficacy of ICIs in several cancers. The need to establish an effective detection method that could visualize PD-L1 expression and predict the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 ICIs has promoted a search for new imaging strategies. PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging could provide a noninvasive, real-time, repeatable, dynamic, and quantitative assessment of the characteristics of all tumor lesions in individual patients. This study analyzed the existing evidence in the literature on PD-L1-based immuno-imaging (2015-2022). Original English-language articles were searched using PubMed and Google Scholar. Keywords, such as "PD-L1," "PET," "SPECT," "PET/CT," and "SPECT/CT," were used in various combinations. A total of nearly 50 preclinical and clinical studies of PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging were selected, reviewed, and included in this study. Therefore, in this review, we conducted a study of the advances in PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging for detecting the expression of PD-L1 and the efficacy of ICIs. We focused on the different types of PD-L1-targeting agents, including antibodies and small PD-L1-binding agents, and illustrated the strength and weakness of these probes. Furthermore, we summarized the trends in the development of PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging, as well as the current challenges and future directions for clinical workflow.
Insights
Immuno-imaging targeting programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) offers a noninvasive method to assess treatment efficacy. This review highlights advances in PD-L1 immuno-imaging for predicting responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The programmed death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway is crucial for cancer immune evasion.
- PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are standard cancer therapies, with PD-L1 serving as a predictive biomarker.
- Effective visualization of PD-L1 expression is needed to predict ICI efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advances in PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging for detecting PD-L1 expression.
- To assess the potential of immuno-imaging in predicting the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 ICIs.
- To summarize trends, challenges, and future directions in PD-L1 immuno-imaging.
Main Methods:
- Literature search of PubMed and Google Scholar for studies from 2015-2022.
- Keywords included "PD-L1," "PET," "SPECT," "PET/CT," and "SPECT/CT."
- Analysis of approximately 50 preclinical and clinical studies on PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging.
Main Results:
- PD-L1-targeting immuno-imaging enables noninvasive, real-time, dynamic, and quantitative assessment of tumor lesions.
- Various PD-L1-targeting agents, including antibodies and small molecules, have been developed.
- The strengths and weaknesses of different imaging probes were evaluated.
Conclusions:
- PD-L1 immuno-imaging is a promising strategy for predicting ICI efficacy in cancer patients.
- Further development is needed to optimize imaging agents and integrate them into clinical workflows.
- Immuno-imaging offers a dynamic and comprehensive approach to monitoring treatment response.
