Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel C-X-C Chemokine Receptor 4-Targeted Radiotracers for Oncological Imaging

Yanzhi Wang1, Jingyue Gao1, Yuze Ma1

  • 1Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Center for Experimental Nuclear Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.

PubMed

Insights

Researchers developed a new Gallium-68 labeled small molecule radiotracer, [68Ga]Ga-SDNUM04, for imaging C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in cancers. This radiotracer shows promise for diagnosing CXCR4-positive tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Radiochemistry
  • Oncology

Background:

  • C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is overexpressed in various cancers.
  • CXCR4 is a significant target for cancer theranostics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop novel small molecule radiotracers targeting CXCR4.
  • To evaluate the potential of these radiotracers for diagnosing CXCR4-positive cancers.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis and radiolabeling of small molecules targeting CXCR4 with Gallium-68.
  • Evaluation of radiochemical purity, binding affinity, tumor uptake, and biodistribution of the radiotracers.
  • In vivo imaging studies in CXCR4-positive tumor models.

Main Results:

  • Seven novel CXCR4-targeting radiotracers were successfully synthesized with high radiochemical purity (>95%).
  • [68Ga]Ga-SDNUM04 demonstrated favorable binding affinity (Kd = 32.21 ± 0.71 nM), tumor uptake (SUVmean = 0.63 ± 0.02), and tumor-to-liver ratio (T/L = 1.07).
  • [68Ga]Ga-SDNUM04 exhibited satisfactory imaging performance and biodistribution in CXCR4-positive tumors.

Conclusions:

  • [68Ga]Ga-SDNUM04 is a promising radiotracer for the clinical diagnosis of CXCR4-positive cancers.
  • The developed radiotracer holds potential for advancing CXCR4-targeted cancer theranostics.