IMPROVED TECHNETIUM-99M LABELING FOR CANCER IMAGING

A NEW METHOD OF DIRECT LABELING OF ANTIBODIES WITH TECHNETIUM-99M (TC-99M) WILL BE DEVELOPED AND EVALUATED. INTHIS METHOD, CALLED THE REGULATED REDUCTION METHOD, ONE CHEMICAL MEANS IS USED TO BREAK THE DISULFIDE BOND IN THE PROTEIN, AND A SEPARATE CHEMICAL MEANS IS USED TO REDUCE THE SODIUM PERTECHNETATE. USING THIS METHOD, TRANSCHELATION IS LOWER, AND HIGHER RADIOCHEMICAL PURITY RESULTS. THE METHOD WILL BE FORMULATED FOR A SIMPLE KIT FORMAT, ALLOWING QUICK LABELING WITH TC-99M WITH A MINIMUM OF STEPS. A NEW AND SIMPLE TC-99M LABELING METHOD WILL HAVE WIDE APPLICATION FOR DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING WITH MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES. THE REGULATED REDUCTION METHOD WILL BE DEVELOPED USING TWO ANTIBODIES: B72.3, WHICH IS AN IGG, AND ANTI-SSEA-1, WHICH IS AN IGM. THE REGULATED REDUCTION METHOD WILL BE COMPARED TO THE PRETINNING DIRECT LABELING METHOD AND A BIFUNCTIONAL CHELATE METHOD, AND WILL BE TESTED FOR RADIOCHEMICAL PURITY, STABILITY, IMMUNOREACTIVITY, AND TRANSCHELATION.