Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radiotherapy of prostate cancer (PCa) has emerged recently as a promising approach to the treatment of disseminated disease. A small number of ligands have been evaluated in patients, and although early tumor response is encouraging, relapse rate is high and these compounds localize to the parotid, salivary, and lacrimal glands as well as to the kidney, leading to dose-limiting toxicities and adverse events affecting quality of life. We envision that dual-target binding ligands displaying high affinity for PSMA and appropriate affinity for human serum albumin (HSA) may demonstrate a higher therapeutic index and be suitable for treatment of PCa by targeted α-therapy. Six novel urea-based ligands with varying affinities for PSMA and HSA were synthesized, labeled withI, and evaluated by in vitro binding and uptake assays in LNCaP cells. Four compounds were advanced for further evaluation in a preclinical model of PCa. The compounds were compared with MIP-1095, a PSMA ligand currently in clinical evaluation. The compounds demonstrated affinity for PSMA on the order of 4-40 nM and affinity for HSA in the range of 1-53 μM. Compounds with relatively high affinity for HSA (≤2 μM) showed high and sustained blood-pool activity and reduced uptake in the kidneys.I-RPS-027, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (PSMA) of 15 nM and a dissociation constant (HSA) of 11.2 μM, cleared from the blood over the course of 48 h and showed good tumor uptake (10 percentage injected dose per gram) and retention and a greater than 5-fold decrease in kidney uptake relative to MIP-1095. The tumor-to-kidney ratio of I-RPS-027 was greater than 3:1 at 24 h after injection, increasing to 7:1 by 72 h. RPS-027 shows dual targeting to PSMA and albumin, resulting in a high tumor uptake, highly favorable tissue distribution, and promising therapeutic profile in a preclinical model of prostate cancer. In comparison to existing ligands proposed for targeted therapy of prostate cancer, RPS-027 has tumor-to-tissue ratios that predict a significant reduction in side effects during therapy. Using iodine/radioiodine as a surrogate for the radiohalogen At, we therefore propose dual-target binding ligands such as RPS-027 as next-generation radiopharmaceuticals for targeted α-therapy usingAt.

Nitrogen heterocycles are abundant in natural products and pharmaceuticals. An emerging interest among synthetic chemists is to apply vinyl azides as a pivotal three-atom synthon for the construction of structurally complex and diverse N-heterocyclic skeletons. The unique features of the azide group connected to an alkene moiety permit vinyl azides to function as electrophiles, nucleophiles, or radical acceptors; their access to diverse reaction pathways provides great opportunities to generate highly reactive intermediates with often unusual or unconventional reactivities. This tutorial review will systematically illustrate the reactivities of vinyl azides and describe recent breakthroughs in the development of new transformations that create N-heterocycles.

Diaryliodonium salts are powerful and widely used arylating agents in organic chemistry. Here we report a scalable, synthesis of densely functionalized diaryliodonium salts from aryl iodides under mild conditions. This two-step, one-pot process has remarkable functional group tolerance, is compatible with commonly employed acid-labile protective group strategies, avoids heavy metal and transition metal reagents, and provides a direct route to stable precursors to PET imaging agents.

A highly efficient and convenient method for the synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles from readily accessible 2-azido acrylates and nitrones has been developed. This reaction proceeded under mild conditions without the assistance of any metal, acid, or base.

Many neuroendocrine tumors, such as neuroblastoma (NB), arise from neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system. This nerve-like phenotype has been exploited for functional imaging using radioactive probes originally designed for neuronal and adrenal medullary applications. NB imaging with meta-[123I]iodobenzylguanidine ([123I]MIBG) is limited by the emissions of 123I, which lead to poor image resolution and challenges in quantification of its accumulation in tumors. Meta-[18F]Fluorobenzylguanidine ([18F]MFBG) is a promising alternative to [123I]MIBG that could change the standard of practice for imaging neuroendocrine tumors, but interest in this PET radiotracer has suffered due to its complex and inefficient radiosynthesis. Here we report a two-step, automated method for the routine production of [18F]MFBG by thermolysis of a diaryliodonium fluoride and subsequent acid deprotection. The synthesis was adapted for use on a commercially available synthesizer for routine production. Full characterization of [18F]MFBG produced by this route demonstrated the tracer’s suitability for human use. [18F]MFBG was prepared in almost three-fold higher yield than previously reported (31% corrected to end of bombardment, n = 9) in a synthesis time of 56 minutes with > 99.9% radiochemical purity. Other than pH adjustment and dilution of the final product, no reformulation was necessary after purification. This method permits the automated production of multidose batches of clinical grade [18F]MFBG. Moreover, if ongoing clinical imaging trials of [18F]MFBG are successful, this methodology is suitable for rapid commercialization and can be easily adapted for use on most commercial automated radiosynthesis equipment.

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Carbon-11 (11C) is one of the most ideal positron emitters for labeling bioactive molecules for molecular imaging studies. The lack of convenient and fast incorporation methods to introduce 11C into organic molecules often hampers the use of this radioisotope. Here, a fluoride-mediated desilylation (FMDS) 11C-labeling approach is reported. This method relies on thermodynamically favored Si-F bond formation to generate a carbanion, therefore enabling the highly efficient and speedy incorporation of [11C]CO2 and [11C]CH3I into molecules with diversified structures. It provides facile and rapid access to 11C-labeled compounds with carbon-11 attached at various hybridized carbons as well as oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen atoms with broad functional group tolerance. The exemplified syntheses of several biologically and clinically important radiotracers illustrates the potentials of this methodology.

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