The a-emitter 211 At labeled to a monoclonal antibody has proven safe and effective in treating microscopic ovarian cancer in the abdominal cavity of mice. Women in complete clinical remission after second-line chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian carcinoma were enrolled in a phase I study. The aim was to determine the pharmacokinetics for assessing absorbed dose to normal tissues and investigating toxicity. Methods: Nine patients underwent laparoscopy 2-5 d before the therapy; a peritoneal catheter was inserted, and the abdominal cavity was inspected to exclude the presence of macroscopic tumor growth or major adhesions. 211 At was labeled to MX35 F(ab9) 2 using the reagent N-succinimidyl-3-(trimethylstannyl)-benzoate. Patients were infused with 211 At-MX35 F(ab9) 2 (22.4-101 MBq/L) in dialysis solution via the peritoneal catheter. g-camera scans were acquired on 3-5 occasions after infusion, and a SPECT scan was acquired at 6 h. Samples of blood, urine, and peritoneal fluid were collected at 1-48 h. Hematology and renal and thyroid function were followed for a median of 23 mo. Results: Pharmacokinetics and dosimetric results were related to the initial activity concentration (IC) of the infused solution. The decay-corrected activity concentration decreased with time in the peritoneal fluid to 50% IC at 24 h, increased in serum to 6% IC at 45 h, and increased in the thyroid to 127% 6 63% IC at 20 h without blocking and less than 20% IC with blocking. No other organ uptakes could be detected. The cumulative urinary excretion was 40 kBq/(MBq/L) at 24 h. The estimated absorbed dose to the peritoneum was 15.6 6 1.0 mGy/(MBq/L), to red bone marrow it was 0.14 6 0.04 mGy/(MBq/L), to the urinary bladder wall it was 0.77 6 0.19 mGy/(MBq/L), to the unblocked thyroid it was 24.7 6 11.1 mGy/(MBq/L), and to the blocked thyroid it was 1.4 6 1.6 mGy/(MBq/L) (mean 6 SD). No adverse effects were observed either subjectively or in laboratory parameters. Conclusion: This study indicates that by intraperitoneal administration of 211 At-MX35 F(ab9) 2 it is possible to achieve therapeutic absorbed doses in microscopic tumor clusters without significant toxicity. The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1%22% in European and U.S. women. Despite seemingly successful cytoreductive surgery, followed by systemic chemotherapy, most patients will relapse and succumb. The relapse is most frequently localized in the abdominal cavity. New systemic chemotherapy regimens have not improved the outcome over the past decade, which prompted experimental intraperitoneal treatments, including radioimmunotherapy.Radioimmunotherapy with b-emitters has displayed promising results, although an international randomized phase III study of 90 Y-HMFG1 showed no improvement in survival or time to relapse (1). This disappointing result could be partly explained by the choice of radionuclide. The long range of this b-emitter results in poor irradiation of small tumor clusters, likely insufficient to eradicate peritoneal micrometastases. Furthermore, the relativel...

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and 2 Cyclotron and PET Unit, KF-3982, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark 211 At-labeled tumor-specific antibodies have long been considered for the treatment of disseminated cancer. However, the limited availability of the nuclide and the poor efficacy of labeling procedures at clinical activity levels present major obstacles to their use. This study evaluated a procedure for the direct astatination of antibodies for the production of clinical activity levels. Methods: The monoclonal antibody trastuzumab was conjugated with the reagent N-succinimidyl-3-(trimethylstannyl)benzoate, and the immunoconjugate was labeled with astatine. Before astatination of the conjugated antibody, the nuclide was activated with N-iodosuccinimide. The labeling reaction was evaluated in terms of reaction time, volume of reaction solvent, immunoconjugate concentration, and applied activity. The quality of the astatinated antibodies was determined by in vitro analysis and biodistribution studies in nude mice. Results: The reaction proceeded almost instantaneously, and the results indicated a low dependence on immunoconjugate concentration and applied activity. Radiochemical labeling yields were in the range of 68%281%, and a specific radioactivity of up to 1 GBq/mg could be achieved. Stability and radiochemical purity were equal to or better than those attained with a conventional 2-step procedure. Dissociation constants for directly astatinated, conventionally astatinated, and radioiodinated trastuzumab were 1.0 6 0.06 (mean 6 SD), 0.44 6 0.06, and 0.29 6 0.02 nM, respectively. The tissue distribution in non-tumor-bearing nude mice revealed only minor differences in organ uptake relative to that obtained with the conventional method. Conclusion: The direct astatination procedure enables the high-yield production of astatinated antibodies with radioactivity in the amounts required for clinical applications. Among the isotopes of the heaviest element in the halogen group, 211 At has attracted interest as a prospective candidate for endoradiotherapeutic applications because of its physicochemical characteristics (1). Unlike most commonly medically applied therapeutic radionuclides that decay through medium-to high-energy b-emission, leading to low-linear-energy-transfer radiation with particle ranges of 1-10 mm, 211 At decays through a-emission, depositing high-linear-energy-transfer radiation in a microvolume corresponding to a mean a-particle range of ;65 mm. When bound to a tumor-specific substance, this radiation can be effective in the destruction of disseminated microtumors, that is, micrometastases, as has been demonstrated in several preclinical studies (2-5). The preclinical work has resulted in 2 phase I studies, a study of the treatment of malignant gliomas at

Despite the consensus around the clinical potential of the a-emitting radionuclide astatine-211 (211 At), there are only a limited number of research facilities that work with this nuclide. There are three main reasons for this: (1) Scarce availability of the nuclide. Despite a relatively large number of globally existing cyclotrons capable of producing 211 At, few cyclotron facilities produce the nuclide on a regular basis. (2) Lack of a chemical infrastructure, that is, isolation of 211 At from irradiated targets and the subsequent synthesis of an astatinated product. At present, the research groups that work with 211 At depend on custom systems for recovering 211 At from the irradiated targets. Setting up and implementing such custom units require long lead times to provide a proper working system. (3) The chemistry of 211 At. Compared with radiometals there are no well-established and generally accepted synthesis methods for forming sufficiently stable bonds between 211 At and the tumor-specific vector to allow for systemic applications. Herein we present an overview of the infrastructure of producing 211 At radiopharmaceuticals, from target to radiolabeled product including chemical strategies to overcome hurdles for advancement into clinical trials with 211 At.

The use of nanobodies (Nbs) as vehicles in targeted alpha therapy (TAT) has gained great interest because of their excellent properties. They combine high in vivo affinity and specificity of binding with fast kinetics. This research investigates a novel targeted therapy that combines the αparticle emitter astatine-211 ( 211 At) and the anti-HER2 Nb 2Rs15d to selectively target HER2+ cancer cells. Two distinctive radiochemical methodologies are investigated using three different coupling reagents. The first method uses the coupling reagents, N-succinimidyl 4-(1,2-bis-tertbutoxycarbonyl)guanidinomethyl-3-(trimethylstannyl)benzoate (Boc 2 -SGMTB) and N-succinimidyl-3-(trimethylstannyl)benzoate (m-MeATE), which are both directed to amino groups on the Nb, resulting in random conjugation. The second method aims at obtaining a homogeneous tracer population, via a site-specific conjugation of the N-[2-(maleimido)ethyl]-3-(trimethylstannyl)benzamide (MSB) reagent onto the carboxylterminal cysteine of the Nb. The resulting radioconjugates are evaluated in vitro and in vivo. 2Rs15d is labeled with 211 At using Boc 2 -SGMTB, m-MeATE, and MSB. After astatination and purification, the binding specificity of the radioconjugates is validated on HER2+ cells, followed by an in vivo biodistribution assessment in SKOV-3 xenografted mice. α-camera imaging is performed to determine uptake and activity distribution in kidneys/tumors. 2Rs15d astatination resulted in a high radiochemical purity >95% for all radioconjugates. The biodistribution studies of all radioconjugates revealed comparable tumor uptake (higher than 8% ID/g at 1 h). [ 211 At]SAGMB-2Rs15d showed minor uptake in normal tissues. Only in the kidneys, a higher uptake was measured after 1 h, but decreased rapidly after 3 h. Astatinated Nbs consisting of m-MeATE or MSB reagents revealed elevated uptake in lungs and stomach, indicating the presence of released 211 At. α-Camera imaging of tumors revealed a homogeneous activity distribution. The radioactivity in the kidneys was initially concentrated in the renal cortex, while after 3 h most radioactivity was measured in the medulla, confirming the fast washout into urine. Changing the reagents for Nb astatination resulted in different in vivo biodistribution profiles, while keeping the targeting moiety identical. Boc 2 -SGMTB is the preferred reagent for Nb astatination because of its high tumor uptake, its low background signals, and its fast renal excretion. We envision [ 211 At]SAGMB-2Rs15d to be a promising therapeutic agent for TAT and aim toward efficacy evaluation.