Biomaterial Database

Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel Fluorine-18-Labeled Tracer for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase. 2023

Kaixuan Li, and Mingqian Wang, and Melike Akoglu, and Alyssa C Pollard, and John B Klecker, and Patricia Alfonso, and Ana Corrionero, and Niall Prendiville, and Wenchao Qu, and Matthew F L Parker, and Nashaat Turkman, and Jules A Cohen, and Peter J Tonge

Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action and Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, John S. Toll Drive, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a target for treating B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. To aid in the discovery and development of BTK inhibitors and improve clinical diagnoses, we have developed a positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer based on a selective BTK inhibitor, remibrutinib. [18F]PTBTK3 is an aromatic, 18F-labeled tracer that was synthesized in 3 steps with a 14.8 ± 2.4% decay-corrected radiochemical yield and ≥99% radiochemical purity. The cellular uptake of [18F]PTBTK3 was blocked up to 97% in JeKo-1 cells using remibrutinib or non-radioactive PTBTK3. [18F]PTBTK3 exhibited renal and hepatobiliary clearance in NOD SCID (non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency) mice, and the tumor uptake of [18F]PTBTK3 in BTK-positive JeKo-1 xenografts (1.23 ± 0.30% ID/cc) was significantly greater at 60 min post injection compared to the tumor uptake in BTK-negative U87MG xenografts (0.41 ± 0.11% ID/cc). In the JeKo-1 xenografts, tumor uptake was blocked up to 62% by remibrutinib, indicating the BTK-dependent uptake of [18F]PTBTK3 in tumors.