PET Imaging Could Improve Cancer Treatment

According to the study, in one mouse strain the nanomedicines unexpectedly showed up in the uterus, a result that would not have been detected without the PET imaging study. The study was published on October 26, 2016, in ACS Nano.

“This technique allows quantification of the biodistribution of a radio-labeled stealth liposomal nanomedicine containing alendronate that shows high uptake in primary tumors and metastatic organs,” concluded senior author Rafael Torres Martin de Rosales, PhD, of KCL, and colleagues. “The versatility, efficiency, simplicity, and GMP compatibility of this method may enable submicrodosing imaging studies of liposomal nanomedicines containing chelating drugs in humans, and may have clinical impact by facilitating the introduction of image-guided therapeutic strategies.”

Chelation involves the formation or presence of two or more separate coordinate bonds between a polydentate (multiple bonded) ligand and the single central atom of a metallic ion. The ligands are usually organic compounds, known as chelants or chelating agents. Chelation is useful for delivering nutritional supplements, in chelation therapy to remove toxic metals from the body, as contrast agents in MRI and PET scanning, in manufacturing using homogeneous catalysts, and in fertilizers.

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King’s College London
Shaare Zedek Medical Center