Rational Design and Pharmacomodulation of Protein-Binding Theranostic Radioligands for Targeting the Fibroblast Activation Protein

J Med Chem. 2022 Jun 23;65(12):8245-8257. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02162. Epub 2022 Jun 5.

Abstract

The fibroblast activation protein (FAP), overexpressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), has become a valuable target for tumor diagnosis and therapy. However, most FAP-based radioligands show insufficient tumor uptake and retention. In this study, three novel albumin-binding FAP ligands (denoted as FSDD0I, FSDD1I, and FSDD3I) were labeled with 68Ga and 177Lu to overcome these limitations. Cell-based studies and molecular docking assays were performed to identify the specificity and protein-binding properties for FAP. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans in human hepatocellular carcinoma patient-derived xenografts (HCC-PDXs) animal models revealed longer blood retention of 68Ga-FSDD0I than 68Ga-FAPI-04, 68Ga-FSDD1I, and 68Ga-FSDD3I. Remarkably, 68Ga-FSDD3I had prominent tumor-to-nontarget (T/NT) ratios. The prominent tumor retention properties of 177Lu-FSDD0I in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging and biodistribution studies were demonstrated. In summary, this study reports a proof-of-concept study of albumin-binding radioligands for FAP-targeted imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Albumins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Gallium Radioisotopes
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
  • Precision Medicine
  • Tissue Distribution

Substances

  • Albumins
  • Gallium Radioisotopes
  • Membrane Proteins