Summary: An 18F-radiotracer able to detect oxidative stress via positron emission tomography (PET).
What
A radiotracer based on 18F-labelled molecular probe that allows imaging of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) stress. It can be used for the early diagnosis of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers and inflammatory conditions.
Why
Oxidative stress underlies the pathology of many human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s) as well as cardiovascular conditions (e.g., cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart failure). Hence, the identification of elevated ROS in vivo may help for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.
Benefits
The 18F-radiotracer allows direct visualisation and quantification of elevated ROS production in vivo using PET. The radiotracer has shown good stability, rapid clearance from healthy tissue, and reliable outcomes.
Opportunity
The technology is protected by a PCT application. Collaborative research is underway for clinical trial.
The Science
Figure: the figure shows that 18F-radiotracers underwent rapid and selective oxidation by superoxide compared to other physiological ROS in vitro. In healthy mice and rats, the radiotracer is distributed to all major organs in and is rapidly cleared with minimal background retention in the heart. In a rat model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, the radiotracer showed significantly higher (P< 0.05) uptake in the hearts compared to healthy controls.
Patent Status
Further Infomation
Mota, F. et al., (2022). "A Reactivity-Based 18F-Labeled Probe for PET Imaging of Oxidative Stress in Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiotoxicity". Molecular Pharmaceutics 19, 18–25. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00496