MicroPET and NIR Fluorescence Imaging Tumor Angiogenesis

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our long-term objective is to develop and validate new imaging markers and techniques that identify the angiogenic properties of precancerous or cancerous cells that will predict clinical course and response to intervention. It has been recently established that tumor growth is angiogenesis dependent, and there is a specific correlation between blood vessel density in cancers and their metastatic potential. Anti-angiogenic therapy aimed at blocking new blood vessel growth in tumors is of great interest, since they may provide a practical means for long-term control of cancer. Imaging can play a major role in the pre-clinical development and clinical application of anti-angiogenic therapy. Integrin alphavbeta3, which is not readily detectable in quiescent vessels but becomes highly expressed in angiogenic vessels and various malignant human tumors, is an important adhesion receptor affecting tumor growth, local invasiveness, and metastatic potential. Tumor angiogenesis can be blocked in vivo by antagonizing the alphavbeta3 integrin with small peptides containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) amino acid sequence. Because of its highly restricted expression and its vital role in angiogenesis, the alphavbeta3 integrin is an attractive candidate in anticancer therapy. The ability to quantify the alphavbeta3 expression level in tumors and other angiogenesis related diseases is of vital importance for therapeutic planning of alphavbeta3 targeted therapy. Systemic optimization of molecular probes for evaluation of tumor targeting efficacy as well as in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics will also enable rapid drug screening and new drug discovery. In this project we propose to develop a series of new cyclic RGD peptide based probes for microPET and optical imaging of tumor angiogenesis in different solid tumor models. Aim 1: label cyclic RGD peptides for microPET imaging and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of glioblastoma model. Aim 2: Apply the radiotracers and NIRF probes with optimal tumor targeting efficacy and in vivo pharmacokinetics to image different solid tumor models. We anticipate that noninvasive serial studies of alphavbeta3 expression and functional activity using microPET and NIRF imaging will become important tools complementary each other to evaluate the role of alphavbeta3 integrin during tumor progression and metastasis. All the results obtained here will be used for future application of a R01 type grant.