The last decade has seen rapid growth in the use of theranostic radionuclides for the treatment and imaging of a wide range of cancers. Radionuclide therapy and imaging rely on a radiolabeled vector to specifically target cancer cells. Radionuclides that emit β particles have thus far dominated the field of targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT), mainly because the longer range (μm–mm track length) of these particles offsets the heterogeneous expression of the molecular target. Shorter range (nm–μm track length) α- and Auger electron (AE)-emitting radionuclides on the other hand provide high ionization densities at the site of decay which could overcome much of the toxicity associated with β-emitters. Given that there is a growing body of evidence that other sensitive sites besides the DNA, such as the cell membrane and mitochondria, could be critical targets in TRT, improved techniques in detecting the subcellular distribution of these radionuclides are necessary, especially since many β-emitting radionuclides also emit AE. The successful development of TRT agents capable of homing to targets with subcellular precision demands the parallel development of quantitative assays for evaluation of spatial distribution of radionuclides in the nm–μm range. In this review, the status of research directed at subcellular targeting of radionuclide theranostics and the methods for imaging and quantification of radionuclide localization at the nanoscale are described.
Purpose. Molecular Radiotherapy (MRT) using 177 Lu-DOTATATE is a most effective therapy for the treatment of somatostatin receptor expressing neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Despite its frequent and successful use in the clinic, little or no radiobiological considerations are taken into account at the time of treatment planning or delivery, and upon positive uptake of octreotide-based PET/SPECT imaging, treatment is usually administered as a standard dose and number of cycles without adjustment for peptide uptake, dosimetry, or radiobiological and DNA damage effects in the tumor. Here, we visualize and quantify the extent of DNA damage response following 177 Lu-DOTATATE therapy using SPECT imaging with 111 In-anti-γH2AX-TAT. This work is a proof-of-principle study of this in vivo non-invasive biodosimeter with beta-emitting therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Methods. Six cell lines were exposed to external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or 177 Lu-DOTATATE, after which the number of γH2AX foci and clonogenic survival were measured. Mice bearing CA20948 somatostatin receptor positive tumor xenografts were treated with 177 Lu-DOTATATE or sham-treated, and co-injected with 111 In-anti-γH2AX-TAT, 111 In-IgG-TAT control, or vehicle. Results. Clonogenic survival following EBRT was cell line specific, indicating varying levels of intrinsic radiosensitivity. In vitro, cell lines treated with 177 Lu-DOTATATE, clonogenic survival decreased and γH2AX foci increased in cells expressing high levels of somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SST2). Ex vivo measurements revealed a partial correlation between 177 Lu-DOTATATE uptake and γH2AX foci induction between different regions of CA20948 xenograft tumors, suggesting different parts of the tumor may react differentially to 177 Lu-DOTATATE irradiation. Conclusion. 111 In-anti-γH2AX-TAT allows monitoring of DNA damage following 177 Lu-DOTATATE therapy, and reveals heterogeneous damage responses.
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