Radiotracers for positron emission tomography imaging

[18F]Radiolabeling fluorination of monofluoroalkyl triflates for the synthesis of [18F]difluoromethylated alkanes

An efficient method for the synthesis of [18F]-difluoromethylated alkanes by the combination of [18F]radio-fluoride with monofluoroalkyl triflates has been developed. This method uses [18F]KF/K2.2.2 as the fluorine source. It features synthetic simplicity without tedious precursor preparation, high RCC and RCY, good functional group tolerance, and is silver salt-free, providing potential for developing new PET agents.

Structure-based discovery of a 4,5-Dihydropyrazole-cored PET ligand for imaging of receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) in the brain

Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) regulates programmed cell death and inflammation, contributing to a wide range of human pathologies, including inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative conditions, and cancer. Despite this, no RIPK1 positron emission tomography (PET) ligand with significant in vivo specificity has been reported to date. In this work, we designed and synthesized a new family of dihydropyrazole-cored ligands suitable for 18F-labeling at the late stage. Among these, WL8 showed a strong binding affinity to RIPK1 (EC50 = 19.9 nM, Kd = 25 nM) and was successfully labeled with 18F in the 6-position of pyridine ring, yielding a high radiochemistry yield of 27.9 % (decay-corrected) and a high molar activity of 18.8-31.2 GBq/μmol. In in vitro autoradiography, [18F]WL8 showed some specific binding in the brain sections of rats and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model mice. Preliminary PET studies in rat brains revealed that [18F]WL8 could efficiently penetrate the blood-brain barrier and was rapidly washed out. As anticipated, [18F]WL8 exhibited a high initial uptake (brain2min = 4.80 % ID/g) in mouse brains, followed by a rapid washout (brain60min = 0.14 % ID/g), although no clear specific binding to RIPK1 was observed. Moderate in vivo stability was noted for [18F]WL8 in mouse brains with 35.2 % of the parent fraction remaining after 30 min post-administration. Altogether, our work broadens the landscape and offers a new chemotype for RIPK1 PET ligand development.

Deep learning-based techniques for estimating high-quality full-dose positron emission tomography images from low-dose scans: a systematic review

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the potential of deep learning algorithms for converting low-dose Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images to full-dose PET images in different body regions. A total of 55 articles published between 2017 and 2023 by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and IEEE databases were included in this review, which utilized various deep learning models, such as generative adversarial networks and UNET, to synthesize high-quality PET images. The studies involved different datasets, image preprocessing techniques, input data types, and loss functions. The evaluation of the generated PET images was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including physician evaluations and various denoising techniques. The findings of this review suggest that deep learning algorithms have promising potential in generating high-quality PET images from low-dose PET images, which can be useful in clinical practice.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging Tracers for Serotonin Receptors

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and 5-HT receptors (5-HTRs) have crucial roles in various neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, making them attractive diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive nuclear molecular imaging technique and is an essential tool in clinical diagnosis and drug discovery. In this context, numerous PET ligands have been developed for "visualizing" 5-HTRs in the brain and translated into human use to study disease mechanisms and/or support drug development. Herein, we present a comprehensive repertoire of 5-HTR PET ligands by focusing on their chemotypes and performance in PET imaging studies. Furthermore, this Perspective summarizes recent 5-HTR-focused drug discovery, including biased agonists and allosteric modulators, which would stimulate the development of more potent and subtype-selective 5-HTR PET ligands and thus further our understanding of 5-HTR biology.

Beta Cell Imaging-From Pre-Clinical Validation to First in Man Testing

There are presently no reliable ways to quantify human pancreatic beta cell mass (BCM) in vivo, which prevents an accurate understanding of the progressive beta cell loss in diabetes or following islet transplantation. Furthermore, the lack of beta cell imaging hampers the evaluation of the impact of new drugs aiming to prevent beta cell loss or to restore BCM in diabetes. We presently discuss the potential value of BCM determination as a cornerstone for individualized therapies in diabetes, describe the presently available probes for human BCM evaluation, and discuss our approach for the discovery of novel beta cell biomarkers, based on the determination of specific splice variants present in human beta cells. This has already led to the identification of DPP6 and FXYD2ga as two promising targets for human BCM imaging, and is followed by a discussion of potential safety issues, the role for radiochemistry in the improvement of BCM imaging, and concludes with an overview of the different steps from pre-clinical validation to a first-in-man trial for novel tracers.

[Multiparametric imaging with simultaneous MRI/PET: Methodological aspects and possible clinical applications]

BACKGROUND

Combined MRI/PET enables the acquisition of a variety of imaging parameters during one examination, including anatomical and functional information such as perfusion, diffusion, and metabolism.

OBJECTIVE

The present article summarizes these methods and their applications in multiparametric imaging via MRI/PET.

RESULTS

Numerous studies have shown that the combination of these parameters can improve diagnostic accuracy for many applications, including the imaging of oncological, neurological, and inflammatory conditions. Because of the amount and the complexity of the acquired multiparametric data, there is a need for advanced analysis tools, such as methods of parameter selection and data classification.

DISCUSSION

Currently, the clinical application of this process still has limitations. On the one hand, software for the fast calculation and standardized evaluation of the imaging data acquired is still lacking. On the other hand, there are deficiencies when comparing the results because of a lack of standardization of the assessment and diagnostic procedure.

SPECT- and PET-based approaches for noninvasive diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection

Molecular imaging techniques such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography are promising tools for noninvasive diagnosis of acute allograft rejection (AR). Given the importance of renal transplantation and the limitation of available donors, detailed analysis of factors that affect transplant survival is important. Episodes of acute allograft rejection are a negative prognostic factor for long-term graft survival. Invasive core needle biopsies are still the “goldstandard” in rejection diagnostics. Nevertheless, they are cumbersome to the patient and carry the risk of significant graft injury. Notably, they cannot be performed on patients taking anticoagulant drugs. Therefore, a noninvasive tool assessing the whole organ for specific and fast detection of acute allograft rejection is desirable. We herein review SPECT- and PET-based approaches for noninvasive molecular imaging-based diagnostics of acute transplant rejection.

Chelators for copper radionuclides in positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals

The development of chelating agents for copper radionuclides in positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals has been a highly active and important area of study in recent years. The rapid evolution of chelators has resulted in highly specific copper chelators that can be readily conjugated to biomolecules and efficiently radiolabeled to form stable complexes in vivo. Chelators are not only designed for conjugation to monovalent biomolecules but also for incorporation into multivalent targeting ligands such as theranostic nanoparticles. These advancements have strengthened the role of copper radionuclides in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. This review emphasizes developments of new copper chelators that have most greatly advanced the field of copper-based radiopharmaceuticals over the past 5 years.

MR/PET or PET/MRI: does it matter?

After the very successful clinical introduction of combined PET/CT imaging a decade ago, a hardware combination of PET and MR is following suit. Today, three different approaches towards integrated PET/MR have been proposed: (1) a triple-modality system with a 3T MRI and a time-of-flight PET/CT installed in adjacent rooms, (2) a tandem system with a 3T MRI and a time-of-flight PET/CT in a co-planar installation with a joint patient handling system, and (3) a fully-integrated system with a whole-body PET system mounted inside a 3T MRI system. This special issue of MAGMA brings together contributions from key experts in the field of PET/MR, PET/CT and CT. The various papers share the author's perspectives on the state-of-the-art PET/MR imaging with any of the three approaches mentioned above. In addition to several reviews discussing advantages and challenges of combining PET and MRI for clinical diagnostics, first clinical data are also presented. We expect this special issue to nurture future improvements in hardware, clinical protocols, and efficient post-processing strategies to further assess the diagnostic value of combined PET/MR imaging. It remains to be seen whether a so-called "killer application" for PET/MRI will surface. In that case PET/MR is likely to excel in pre-clinical and selected research applications for now. This special issue helps the readers to stay on track of this exciting development.