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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Harnessing the Bioorthogonal Inverse Electron Demand Diels-Alder Cycloaddition for Pretargeted PET Imaging
Published on: February 3, 2015
Pretargeted Immuno-PET Enables Monoclonal Antibody Imaging Beyond the Blood-Brain Barrier
Tobias Gustavsson1, Thomas Kustermann2, Lars Hvass3,4
1Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Abstract:
Pretargeted PET imaging offers a powerful approach to improve nuclear imaging contrast and reduce systemic radiation exposure, yet its application in the brain has been limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, successful pretargeted PET imaging of a brain target enabled by a bispecific antibody engineered for transferrin receptor-mediated BBB transcytosis. By combining this brain shuttle with a novel 18F-labeled tetrazine, we achieve specific, quantifiable detection of brain-localized Aβ aggregates, validated through PET imaging and histological analysis. This proof-of-concept establishes a versatile, noninvasive imaging platform with broad potential for assessing biologic drug candidates and CNS targets previously considered intractable.

