Targeted Theranostics for Metastatic Melanoma

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Cancer Society reports that death rates for melanoma have been rising in the United States for the past 30 years. It is one of the more common cancers in population younger than 30, and the most common cancer in adults ages 25 to 29. One characteristic of metastatic melanoma cells that is recognized as a potential target for new therapies is their elevated glucose metabolism - and concomitant upregulation of glucose transporters (e.g., GLUT1) and hexokinaseenzyme activity. Radiolabeled glucose (i.e., [18F]-FDG) has been the mainstay for imaging of metastatic melanoma for many years. There are no agents available that detect differences in melanoma metabolism and can be used for both imaging and targeted radiotherapy. This proposal is focused on development, validation and commercialization of novel class of theranostic [203/212]Pb-labeled glucosamine conjugates (RMX-GC) for targeted imaging and image-guided therapy of metastatic melanoma. Our innovative