Amino acid-based tracers have been extensively investigated for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of brain tumors, and 11C-methionine (11C-MET) is one of the most extensively investigated. However, widespread clinical use of 11C-MET is challenging due to the short half-life of 11C and low radiolabeling yield. In this issue of the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Yang and colleagues report an 18F-labeled boron-derived methionine analog, 18F-B-MET, as a potential substitute for 11C-MET in PET imaging of glioma. The push-button synthesis, highly efficient radiolabeling, and good imaging performance in glioma models make this tracer a promising candidate for future clinical translation.
Keywords: 11C-Methionine (11C-MET); 18F-B-MET; Amino acid transporter; Boramino acid; Cancer; Positron emission tomography (PET).