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A new transplantable ovarian tumor model is presented using a novel folate receptor (FR) positive, murine ovarian cancer cell line that emulates the human disease and induces widespread intraperitoneal (i.p.) tumors in immunocompetent mice within 4-8 weeks of implantation. Tumor development was monitored using a new positron emission tomography (PET) FR-targeting reporter with PET/computerized tomography (PET/CT) and fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) using a commercial FR-targeting reporter. Conventional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was also performed. Adult female C57BL/6 mice were injected i.p. with 6 × 10(6) MKP-L FR+ cells. Imaging was performed weekly beginning 2 weeks after tumor induction. The albumin-binding, FR-targeting ligand cm09 was radiolabeled with the positron emitter (68)Ga and used to image the tumors with a small animal PET/CT. The FR-reporter FolateRSense 680 (PerkinElmer) was used for FMT and flow cytometry. Preclinical MRI (7 T) without FR-targeting was compared with the PET and FMT molecular imaging. Tumors were visible by all three imaging modalities. PET/CT had the highest imaging sensitivity at 3-3.5 h postadministration (mean %IA/g mean > 6) and visualized tumors earlier than the other two modalities with lower kidney uptake (mean %IA/g mean < 17) than previously reported FR-targeting agents in late stage disease. FMT showed relatively low FR-targeted agent in the bladder and kidneys, but yielded the lowest anatomical image resolution. MRI produced the highest resolution images, but it was difficult to distinguish tumors from abdominal organs during early progression since a FR-targeting MRI reporter was not used. Nevertheless, there was good correlation of imaging biomarkers between the three modalities. Tumors in the mouse ovarian cancer model could be detected using FR-targeted imaging as early as 2 weeks post i.p. injection of tumor cells. An imaging protocol should combine one or more of the modalities, e.g., PET/CT or PET/MRI for optimal tumor detection and delineation from surrounding tissues.

The gelatinase members of the MMP family have consistently been associated with tumor invasiveness, which make them an attractive target for molecular imaging. We report new activatable proteolytic optical imaging agents that consist of triple-helical peptide (THP) conjugates, with high specificity to the gelatinases, bearing quenched cypate dyes. With quenching efficiencies up to 51%, the amplified fluorescence signal upon cypate3-THP hydrolysis by the gelatinases (kcat/KM values of 6.4×10(3) M(-1) s(-1) to 9.1×10(3) M(-1) s(-1) for MMP-2 and MMP-9, respectively) in mice bearing human fibrosarcoma xenografted tumors was monitored with fluorescence molecular tomography. There was significant fluorescence enhancement within the tumor and this enhancement was reduced by treatment with pan-MMP inhibitor, Ilomastat. These data, combined with the gelatinase substrate specificity observed in vitro, indicated the observed fluorescence at the site of the tumor was due to gelatinase mediated hydrolysis of cypate3-THP.

Antimicrobial drug discovery has slowed considerably over the last few decades. One major cause for concern is the lack of innovative approaches to treat infections caused by mycobacteria such as TB. Herein we demonstrate that our Small Molecule Variable Ligand Display (SMLVD) method for nanoparticle antibiotic discovery can be expanded around a ligand feed ratio parameter space to identify gold nanoparticle conjugates that are potent inhibitors of myco-bacteria growth, with our most potent inhibitor able to reduce growth by five orders of magnitude at 8 μM.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved lifespan and quality of life of patients infected with the HIV-1. However, ART has several potential limitations, including the development of drug resistance and suboptimal penetration to selected anatomic compartments. Improving the delivery of antiretroviral molecules could overcome several of the limitations of current ART. Results & Conclusion: Two to ten nanometer diameter inorganic gold crystals serve as a base scaffold to combine molecules with an array of properties in its surface. We show entry into different cell types, antiviral activity of an HIV integrase inhibitor conjugated in a gold nanoparticle and penetration into the brain in vivo without toxicity. Herein, gold nanoparticles prove to be a promising tool to use in HIV therapy.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9, the gelatinases, have consistently been associated with tumor progression. The development of gelatinase-specific probes will be critical for identifying in vivo gelatinoic activity to understand the molecular role of the gelatinases in tumor development. Recently, a self-assembling homotrimeric triple-helical peptide (THP), incorporating a sequence from type V collagen, with high substrate specificity to the gelatinases has been developed. To determine whether this THP would be suitable for imaging protease activity, 5-carboxyfluorescein (5FAM) was conjugated, resulting in 5FAM3-THP and 5FAM6-THP, which were quenched up to 50%. 5FAM6-THP hydrolysis by MMP-2 and MMP-9 displayed kcat/KM values of 1.5 × 104 and 5.4 × 103 M−1 s−1, respectively. Additionally 5FAM6-THP visualized gelatinase activity in gelatinase positive HT-1080 cells, but not in gelatinase negative MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the fluorescence in the HT-1080 cells was greatly attenuated by the addition of a MMP-2 and MMP-9 inhibitor, SB-3CT, indicating that the observed fluorescence release was mediated by gelatinase proteolysis and not non-specific proteolysis of the THPs. These results demonstrate that THPs fully substituted with fluorophores maintain their substrate specificity to the gelatinases in human cancer cells and may be useful in in vivo molecular imaging of gelatinase activity.