Site-Specific 68Ga Radiolabeling of Trastuzumab Fab via Methionine for ImmunoPET Imaging

Bioconjug Chem. 2023 Oct 18;34(10):1802-1810. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00344. Epub 2023 Sep 26.

Abstract

Bioconjugates of antibodies and their derivatives radiolabeled with β+-emitting radionuclides can be utilized for diagnostic PET imaging. Site-specific attachment of radioactive cargo to antibody delivery vectors provides homogeneous, well-defined immunoconjugates. Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of oxaziridine chemistry for site-specific labeling of methionine residues. Herein, we applied this approach to site-specifically radiolabel trastuzumab-derived Fab immunoconjugates with 68Ga, which can be used for in vivo PET imaging of HER2-positive breast cancer tumors. Initially, a reactive azide was introduced to a single solvent-accessible methionine residue in both the wild-type Fab and an engineered derivative containing methionine residue M74, utilizing the principles of oxaziridine chemistry. Subsequently, these conjugates were functionalized with a modified DFO chelator incorporating dibenzocyclooctyne. The resulting DFO-WT and DFO-M74 conjugates were radiolabeled with generator-produced [68Ga]Ga3+, to yield the novel PET radiotracers, [68Ga]Ga-DFO-WT and [68Ga]Ga-DFO-M74. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that [68Ga]Ga-DFO-M74 exhibited a higher affinity for HER2 receptors. Biodistribution studies in mice bearing orthotopic HER2-positive breast tumors revealed a higher uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DFO-M74 in the tumor tissue, accompanied by rapid renal clearance, enabling clear delineation of tumors using PET imaging. Conversely, [68Ga]Ga-DFO-WT exhibited lower uptake and inferior image contrast compared to [68Ga]Ga-DFO-M74. Overall, the results demonstrate that the highly facile methionine-oxaziridine modification approach can be simply applied to the synthesis of stable and site-specifically modified radiolabeled antibody-chelator conjugates with favorable pharmacokinetics for PET imaging.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chelating Agents / chemistry
  • Deferoxamine / chemistry
  • Gallium Radioisotopes
  • Immunoconjugates* / chemistry
  • Methionine
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods
  • Racemethionine
  • Tissue Distribution
  • Trastuzumab / chemistry
  • Zirconium / chemistry

Substances

  • Trastuzumab
  • Gallium Radioisotopes
  • Methionine
  • Deferoxamine
  • Chelating Agents
  • Racemethionine
  • Immunoconjugates
  • Zirconium