Abstract 5743: Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging analogs of glutamine: Development and evaluation as probes for cancer imaging

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 72; no. 8_Supplement; p. 5743
• Main Authors: Buck, Jason R., Saleh, Sam, Hight, Matthew R., Nickels, Mike L., Manning, H. Charles
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 15.04.2012
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2012-5743

Abstract Emerging evidence suggests that nutrient uptake in cancer cells is controlled by oncogenic signaling pathways. The natural amino acid glutamine is an essential nutrient for cell growth and proliferation. Glutamine also participates in protein synthesis and is a nitrogen source for the production of select nucleotides and amino acids. Consequently, quantitative measures of glutamine uptake may reflect critical processes in oncology. Recently, a fluorinated glutamine analog for positron emission tomography (PET) was shown to possess both highly specific cellular uptake in glioma cell lines and in vivo tumor localization (J Am Chem Soc 2011;133:1122-1133). Synthetic methodology leading to this agent, an optically pure 4-fluoro-glutamine derivative, was also reported. Though effective, this convergent synthesis requires multiple steps, extensive chromatographic separation, and nearly a week of reaction time. Employing a chiral auxiliary Schiff base and microwave-assisted organic synthesis, we have significantly improved the synthesis of this and similar agents, drastically reducing the number of synthetic steps (from ten to four) and the overall reaction time (from seven days to two hours). While the radiochemistry relies upon traditional box methods, we are also currently employing high-throughput microfluidic radiolabeling strategies to expedite probe production and labeling efficiency. Finally, using optically pure [18F]4-FGln (2S,4R) synthesized by our improved synthesis, we report preclinical PET images of models of human colorectal cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5743. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5743