Currently, targeted alpha therapy is one of the most investigated topics in radiopharmaceutical cancer management. Especially, the alpha emitter 225Ac has excellent nuclear properties and is gaining increasing popularity for the treatment of various tumor entities. We herein report on the synthesis of two universal 225Ac-chelators for mild condition radiolabeling and binding to conjugate molecules of pharmacological interest via the copper-mediated click chemistry. A convenient radiolabeling procedure was investigated as well as the complex stability proved for both chelators and two PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen)-targeting model radioconjugates. Studies regarding affinity and cell survival were performed on LNCaP cells followed by biodistribution studies, which were performed using LNCaP tumor-bearing mice. High efficiency radiolabeling for all conjugates was demonstrated. Cell binding studies revealed a fourfold lower cell affinity for the PSMA radioconjugate with one targeting motif compared to the radioconjugate owing two targeting motifs. Additionally, these differences were verified by in vitro cell survival evaluation and biodistribution studies, both showing a higher cell killing efficiency for the same dose, a higher tumor uptake (15%ID/g) and a rapid whole body clearance after 24 h. The synthesized chelators will overcome obstacles of lacking stability and worse labeling needs regarding 225Ac complexation using the DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetrayl)tetraacetic acid) chelator. Moreover, the universal functionalization expands the coverage of these chelators in combination with any sensitive bio(macro)molecule, thus improving treatment of any addressable tumor target.

Barium-131 is a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-compatible radionuclide for nuclear medicine and a promising diagnostic match for radium-223/-224. Herein, we report on the sufficient production route 133Cs(p,3n)131Ba by using 27.5 MeV proton beams. An average of 190 MBq barium-131 per irradiation was obtained. The SR Resin-based purification process led to barium-131 in high radiochemical purity. An isotopic impurity of 0.01% barium-133 was detectable. For the first time, radiolabeling of the ligand macropa with barium-131 was performed. Radiolabeling methods under mild conditions and reaction controls based on TLC systems were successfully applied. Small animal SPECT/ computed tomography (CT) measurements and biodistribution studies were performed using [131Ba]Ba(NO3)2 as reference and 131Ba-labeled macropa in healthy mice for the first time. Biodistribution studies revealed the expected rapid bone uptake of [131Ba]Ba2+, whereas 131Ba-labeled macropa showed a fast clearance from the blood, thereby showing a significantly (p < 0.001) lower accumulation in the bone. We conclude that barium-131 is a promising SPECT radionuclide and delivers appropriate imaging qualities in small animals. Furthermore, the relative stability of the 131Ba-labeled macropa complex in vivo forms the basis for the development of sufficient new chelators, especially for radium isotopes. Thereby, barium-131 will attain its goal as a diagnostic match to the alpha emitters radium-223 and radium-224.

A facile preparation of nanoparticles with enhanced properties obtained by co-precipitation containing radium-224 and functional groups to connect target (bio)molecules for therapeutic applications in oncology is described.

It is evident that 99mTc causes radical-mediated DNA damage due to Auger electrons, which were emitted simultaneously with the known γ-emission of 99mTc. We have synthesized a series of new 99mTc-labeled pyrene derivatives with varied distances between the pyrene moiety and the radionuclide. The pyrene motif is a common DNA intercalator and allowed us to test the influence of the radionuclide distance on damages of the DNA helix. In general, pUC 19 plasmid DNA enables the investigation of the unprotected interactions between the radiotracers and DNA that results in single-strand breaks (SSB) or double-strand breaks (DSB). The resulting DNA fragments were separated by gel electrophoresis and quantified by fluorescent staining. Direct DNA damage and radical-induced indirect DNA damage by radiolysis products of water were evaluated in the presence or absence of the radical scavenger DMSO. We demonstrated that Auger electrons directly induced both SSB and DSB in high efficiency when 99mTc was tightly bound to the plasmid DNA and this damage could not be completely prevented by DMSO, a free radical scavenger. For the first time, we were able to minimize this effect by increasing the carbon chain lengths between the pyrene moiety and the 99mTc nuclide. However, a critical distance between the 99mTc atom and the DNA helix could not be determined due to the significantly lowered DSB generation resulting from the interaction which is dependent on the type of the 99mTc binding motif. The effect of variable DNA damage caused by the different chain length between the pyrene residue and the Tc-core as well as the possible conformations of the applied Tc-complexes was supplemented with molecular dynamics (MD) calculations. The effectiveness of the DNA-binding 99mTc-labeled pyrene derivatives was demonstrated by comparison to non-DNA-binding 99mTcO4–, since nearly all DNA damage caused by 99mTcO4– was prevented by incubating with DMSO.

A series of modified calix[4]crown‐6 derivatives was synthesized to chelate the heavy group 2 metal barium, which serves as a non‐radioactive surrogate for radium‐223/‐224; radionuclides with promising properties for radiopharmaceutical use. These calixcrowns were functionalized with either cyclic amide moieties or with deprotonizable groups, and the corresponding barium complexes were synthesized. Stability constants of these complexes were measured by using NMR and UV/Vis titration techniques to determine logK values of >4.1. Further extraction studies were performed to characterize the binding affinity of calixcrowns to radioactive barium‐133. Additionally, the ligands containing cyclic amides were investigated regarding their rotational barriers by using temperature‐dependent NMR measurements.

No abstract

The treatment of cancer patients with α‐particle‐emitting therapeutics continues to gain in importance and relevance. The range of radiopharmaceutically relevant α‐emitters is limited to a few radionuclides, as stable chelators or carrier systems for safe transport of the radioactive cargo are often lacking. Encapsulation of α‐emitters into solid inorganic systems can help to diversify the portfolio of candidate radionuclides, provided, that these nanomaterials effectively retain both the parent and the recoil daughters. We therefore focus on designing stable and defined nanocarrier‐based systems for various clinically relevant radionuclides, including the promising α‐emitting radionuclide 224Ra. Hence, sub‐10 nm barium sulfate nanocontainers were prepared and different radiometals like 89Zr, 111In, 131Ba, 177Lu or 224Ra were incorporated. Our system shows stabilities of >90 % regarding the radiometal release from the BaSO4 matrix. Furthermore, we confirm the presence of surface‐exposed amine functionalities as well as the formation of a biomolecular corona.

Invited for this month's cover picture is the group around Dr. Constantin Mamat at the Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research at the Helmholtz‐Zentrum Dresden‐Rossendorf (Germany) together with Prof. Martin Köckerling from the University of Rostock (Germany). The cover picture shows the ability of special functionalized calix[4]crown‐6 derivatives to stably bind group 2 metals like barium. This binding mode is highly important for radiopharmaceutical applications not to lose the respective radiometal in vivo to avoid high background signals and/or false positive results and damages in other tissues. For this purpose, different calix[4]crowns were tested, based upon their potential to stably bind barium as surrogate for radium. Radium nuclides are known to be good candidates for usage in α‐targeted therapies. Currently, radium‐223 is used for α‐therapy of bone metastases because of its calcium mimetics. Our aim is to apply the radium to treat other cancer tissues. That's why we need novel chelators to stably fix groups 2 metals like barium and radium. Read the full text of their Full Paper at https://doi.org/10.1002/open.201800019.