ImmunoPET Imaging of Pancreatic Tumors with

purposeTargeted delivery in vivo remains an immense roadblock for the translation of nanomaterials into the clinic. The greatest obstacle is the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), which sequesters foreign substances from general circulation and causes accumulation in organs such as the liver and spleen. The purpose of this study was to determine whether attaching an active targeting antibody, 5B1, to the surface of gold nanoparticles and using clodronate liposomes to deplete liver and splenic macrophages could help to minimize uptake by MPS organs, increase targeted delivery to CA19.9-positive pancreatic tumors, and enhance pancreatic tumor delineation. PROCEDURES: To produce the antibody-gold nanoparticle conjugate (Ab-AuNP), the Ab was conjugated to p-isothiocyanatobenzyl-desferrioxamine (p-SCN-DFO) and subsequently conjugated to NHS-activated gold nanoparticles. The Ab-AuNP was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Modified Lindmo assay was performed to assess binding affinity and internalization potential in vitro. The Ab-AuNP was radiolabeled with

resultsMice pretreated with clodronate liposomes in an orthotopic setting demonstrated decreased liver uptake at early time points (12.2 ± 2.3 % ID/g vs. 22.8 ± 3.8 % ID/g at 24 h) and increased tumor uptake at 120 h (13.8 ± 8.0 % ID/g vs. 6.0 ± 1.2 % ID/g). This allowed for delineation of orthotopic pancreatic xenografts in significantly more mice treated with clodronate (6/6) than in mice not treated with clodronate (2/6) or mice injected with gold nanoparticles labeled with a nonspecific antibody (0/5).

conclusionsThe combination of clodronate liposomes and an active targeting antibody on the surface of gold nanoparticles allowed for PET/CT imaging of subcutaneous and orthotopic pancreatic xenografts in mice.