Actinium-226 (226Ac) has been previously proposed as a potential surrogate isotope for the development of 225Ac radiopharmaceuticals for targeted alpha therapy (TAT). The benefits of 226Ac include its theoretically superior therapeutic potency as well as a short half-life of its progeny, expected to minimize the toxicities. Researchers from TRIUMF, University of British Columbia and affiliated organizations recently reported the discovery of a novel matched 225/226Ac-radiopharmaceutical pair, [225Ac]crown-TATE and [226Ac]crown-TATE, and conducted studies aiming to compare the radiation dosimetry of these candidates.
Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf has patented 3-((3-([1,1’-biphenyl]-3-ylmethoxy)phenoxy)methyl)benzonitrile derivatives that are radiolabeled compounds targeting programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1; CD274). They are reported to be potentially useful for the diagnosis and/or radionuclide therapy treatment of cancer and SARS-CoV-2.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have reported findings from the preclinical evaluation of a novel cardiac targeting peptide (CTP)-based radiotracer – [68Ga]NOTA-CTP – being developed as a myocardial perfusion imaging PET probe.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College reported on the development of a novel EDB-FN-targeted Gd-based contrast agent, named EDB-Gd-DOTA-Cy7, for imaging and treatment planning of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Researchers from Stanford University and affiliated organizations have provided details on the discovery and preclinical evaluation of [11C]MGX-10S, a novel PET tracer for GPR84, which is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) expressed predominately on myeloid cells.
Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is a key regulator of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which has a critical neuromodulatory involvement in numerous functional mechanisms in the CNS. Based on this, MAGL is considered a promising therapeutic target in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Researchers from ETH Zürich and affiliated organizations have recently presented their work on (R)-[18F]YH-134, a novel reversible radiotracer for imaging MAGL in the brain.
Dopamine D3 receptors play a relevant role in the CNS modulating neurological activity, and its dysfunction is linked to disorders such as schizophrenia, drug abuse or Parkinson’s disease. There is a need for blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrant D3 receptor radiotracers with high brain uptake to be used for neurological and neuropsychiatric disease diagnosis.
A Cytosite Biopharma Inc. patent describes prodrugs of granzyme B-targeting compounds reported to be useful as granzyme B-imaging agents for the diagnosis of cancer.
Despite the success of CAR T-cell therapies for cancer immunotherapy, only a small percent of patients have a significant clinical response, and it is difficult to distinguish responders from nonresponders at an early stage with current imaging techniques.
Given the high prevalence of chronic kidney disease and the impact of renal fibrosis on the prognosis of these patients, there is a need for novel diagnostic tools to be able to detect pathological changes earlier and thus avoid progression to later stages of the disease.