The prognosis in advanced-stage ovarian cancer remains poor. Tumor-specific intraoperative fluorescence imaging may improve staging and debulking efforts in cytoreductive surgery and thereby improve prognosis. The overexpression of folate receptor-α (FR-α) in 90-95% of epithelial ovarian cancers prompted the investigation of intraoperative tumor-specific fluorescence imaging in ovarian cancer surgery using an FR-α-targeted fluorescent agent. In patients with ovarian cancer, intraoperative tumor-specific fluorescence imaging with an FR-α-targeted fluorescent agent showcased the potential applications in patients with ovarian cancer for improved intraoperative staging and more radical cytoreductive surgery.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a loss of neurons from the midbrain. The cause of PD is unknown, but it is established that certain neurotoxins can cause similar syndromes. The brain is normally protected from these noxious blood-borne chemicals by the blood-brain barrier which includes specialized proteins on the inside of blood vessels in the brain. These act as molecular efflux pumps and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is an abundant representative. Vulnerability to PD appears codetermined by the genotype for the P-gp gene. We hypothesized that PD patients have reduced P-gp function in the blood-brain barrier. We used positron emission tomography to measure brain uptake of [(11)C]-verapamil, which is normally extruded from the brain by P-gp. Here, we show significantly elevated uptake of [(11)C]-verapamil (18%) in the midbrain of PD patients relative to controls. This is the first evidence supporting a dysfunctional blood-brain barrier as a causative mechanism in PD.

The anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) antibody trastuzumab is administered to patients with HER2/ neu-overexpressing breast cancer. Whole-body noninvasive HER2/neu scintigraphy could help to assess and quantify the HER2/neu expression of all lesions, including nonaccessible metastases. The aims of this study were to develop clinical-grade radiolabeled trastuzumab for clinical HER2/neu immunoPET scintigraphy, to improve diagnostic imaging, to guide antibodybased therapy, and to support early antibody development. The PET radiopharmaceutical 89 Zr-trastuzumab was compared with the SPECT tracer 111 In-trastuzumab, which we have tested in the clinic already. Methods: Trastuzumab was labeled with 89 Zr and (for comparison) with 111 In. The minimal dose of trastuzumab required for optimal small-animal PET imaging and biodistribution was determined with human HER2/neu-positive or -negative tumor xenograft-bearing mice. Results: Trastuzumab was efficiently radiolabeled with 89 Zr at a high radiochemical purity and specific activity. The antigen-binding capacity was preserved, and the radiopharmaceutical proved to be stable for up to 7 d in solvent and human serum. Of the tested protein doses, the minimal dose of trastuzumab (100 mg) proved to be optimal for imaging. The comparative biodistribution study showed a higher level of 89 Zr-trastuzumab in HER2/neu-positive tumors than in HER2/neu-negative tumors, especially at day 6 (33.4 6 7.6 [mean 6 SEM] vs. 7.1 6 0.7 percentage injected dose per gram of tissue). There were good correlations between the small-animal PET images and the biodistribution data and between 89 In-trastuzumab uptake in tumors (R 2 5 0.972). Conclusion: Clinical-grade 89 Zr-trastuzumab showed high and HER2/neu-specific tumor uptake at a good resolution.