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Androgen ablating drugs increase life expectancy in men with metastatic prostate cancer, but resistance inevitably develops. In a majority of these recurrent tumors, the androgen axis is reactivated in the form of increased androgen receptor (AR) expression. Targeting proteins that are expressed as a down-stream effect of AR activity is a promising rationale for management of this disease. The humanized IgG1 antibody hu11B6 internalizes into prostate and prostate cancer (PCa) cells by binding to the catalytic cleft of human kallikrein 2 (hK2), a prostate specific enzyme governed by the AR-pathway. In a previous study, hu11B6 conjugated with Actinium-225 ( 225 Ac), a high linear energy transfer (LET) radionuclide, was shown to generate an AR-upregulation driven feed-forward mechanism that is believed to enhance therapeutic efficacy. We assessed the efficacy of hu11B6 labeled with a low LET beta-emitter, Lutetium-177 ( 177 Lu) and investigated whether similar tumor killing and AR-enhancement is produced. Moreover, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of 177 Lu is quantitatively accurate and can be used to perform treatment planning. [ 177 Lu]hu11B6 therefore has significant potential as a theranostic agent. Materials and Methods : Subcutaneous PCa xenografts (LNCaP s.c.) were grown in male mice. Biokinetics at 4-336 h post injection and uptake as a function of the amount of hu11B6 injected at 72 h were studied. Over a 30 to 120-day treatment period the therapeutic efficacy of different activities of [ 177 Lu]hu11B6 were assessed by volumetric tumor measurements, blood cell counts, molecular analysis of the tumor as well as SPECT/CT imaging. Organ specific mean absorbed doses were calculated, using a MIRD-scheme, based on biokinetic data and rodent specific S-factors from a modified MOBY phantom. Tumor tissues of treated xenografts were immunohistochemically (IHC) stained for Ki-67 (proliferation) and AR, SA-β-gal activity (senescence) and analyzed by digital autoradiography (DAR). Results : Organ-to-blood and tumor-to-blood ratios were independent of hu11B6 specific activity except for the highest amount of antibody (150 µg). Tumor accumulation of [ 177 Lu]hu11B6 peaked at 168 h with a specific uptake of 29 ± 9.1 percent injected activity per gram (%IA/g) and low accumulation in normal organs except in the submandibular gland (15 ± 4.5 %IA/g), attributed to a cross-reaction with mice kallikreins in this organ, was seen. However, SPECT imaging with therapeutic amounts of [ 177 Lu]hu11B6 revealed no peak in tumor accumulation at 7 d, probably due to cellular retention of 177 Lu and decreasing tumor volumes. For [ 177 Lu]hu11B6 treated mice, tumor decrements of up to 4/5 of the initial tumor volume and reversible myelotoxicity with a nadir at 12 d were observed after a single injection. Tumor volume reduction correlated with injected activity and the absorbed dose. IHC revealed retained expression of AR throughout treatment and that Ki-67 staining reached a nadir at 9-14 d which coincided with high SA- β-gal activity (14 d). Quantification of nuclei staining showed that Ki-67 expression correlated negatively with activity uptake. AR expression levels in cells surviving therapy compared to previous timepoints and to controls at 30 d were significantly increased (p = 0.017). Conclusions : This study shows that hu11B6 labeled with the low LET beta-emitting radionuclide 177 Lu can deliver therapeutic absorbed doses to prostate cancer xenografts with transient hematological side-effects. The tumor response correlated with the absorbed dose both on a macro and a small scale dosimetric level. Analysis of AR staining showed that AR protein levels increased late in the study suggesting a therapeutic mechanism, a feed forward mechanism coupled to AR driven response to DNA damage or clonal lineage selection, similar to that reported in high LET alpha-particle therapy using 225 Ac labeled hu11B6, however emerging at a later timepoint., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Sven-Erik Strand, David Ulmert and Dan Thorek are shareholders in Diaprost AB who owns the commercial rights for hu11B6 and hold patents for its applications. Sven-Erik Strand and David Ulmert are authors on several patents protecting the use of radiolabeled 11B6. Oskar Vilhelmsson Timmermand and Thuy Tran are the co-authors of a patent, held by Diaprost AB, on humanized 11B6.

Prostate and breast cancer are the second most and most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women worldwide, respectively. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2016 in the USA around 430,000 individuals were diagnosed with one of these two types of cancers, and approximately 15% of them will die from the disease. In Europe, the rate of incidences and deaths are similar to those in the USA. Several different more or less successful diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been developed and evaluated in order to tackle this issue and thereby decrease the death rates. By using nanoparticles as vehicles carrying both diagnostic and therapeutic molecular entities, individualized targeted theranostic nanomedicine has emerged as a promising option to increase the sensitivity and the specificity during diagnosis, as well as the likelihood of survival or prolonged survival after therapy. This article presents and discusses important and promising different kinds of nanoparticles, as well as imaging and therapy options, suitable for theranostic applications. The presentation of different nanoparticles and theranostic applications is quite general, but there is a special focus on prostate cancer. Some references and aspects regarding breast cancer are however also presented and discussed. Finally, the prostate cancer case is presented in more detail regarding diagnosis, staging, recurrence, metastases, and treatment options available today, followed by possible ways to move forward applying theranostics for both prostate and breast cancer based on promising experiments performed until today.

Modern molecular and radiopharmaceutical development has brought the promise of tumor-selective delivery of antibody-drug conjugates to tumor cells for the diagnosis and treatment of primary and disseminated tumor disease. The classical mode of discourse regarding targeted therapy has been that the antigen targeted must be highly and homogenously expressed in the tumor cell population, and at the same time exhibit low expression in healthy tissue. However, there is increasing evidence that the reason cancer patients are not cured by current protocols is that there exist subpopulations of cancer cells that are resistant to conventional therapy including radioresistance and that these cells express other target antigens than the bulk of the tumor cells. These types of cells are often referred to as cancer stem cells (CSCs). The CSCs are tumorigenic and have the ability to give rise to all types of cells found in a cancerous disease through the processes of self-renewal and differentiation. If the CSCs are not eradicated, the cancer is likely to recur after therapy. Due to some of the characteristics of alpha particles, such as short path length and high density of energy depositions per distance traveled in tissue, they are especially well suited for use in targeted therapies against microscopic cancerous disease. The characteristics of alpha particles further make it possible to minimize the irradiation of non-targeted surrounding healthy tissue, but most importantly, make it possible to deliver high-absorbed doses locally and therefore eradicating small tumor cell clusters on the submillimeter level, or even single tumor cells. When alpha particles pass through a cell, they cause severe damage to the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus, including double-strand breaks of DNA that are very difficult to repair for the cell. This means that very few hits to a cell by alpha particles are needed in order to cause cell death, enabling killing of cells, such as CSCs, exhibiting cellular resistance mechanisms to conventional therapy. This paper presents and evaluates the possibility of using alpha-particle emitting radionuclides in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) and discusses the parameters that have to be considered as well as pros and cons of targeted alpha-particle therapy in the treatment of PCa. By targeting and eradicating the CSCs responsible of tumor recurrence in patients who no longer respond to conventional therapies, including androgen deprivation and castration, it may be possible to cure the disease, or prolong survival significantly.

Purpose: The first main aim of this study was to illustrate the absorbed dose rate distribution from 177 Lu in sections of xenografted prostate cancer (PCa) tumors using high resolution digital autoradiography (DAR) and compare it with hypothetical identical radioactivity distributions of 90 Y or 7 MeV alpha-particles. Three dosimetry models based on either dose point kernels or Monte Carlo simulations were used and evaluated. The second and overlapping aim, was to perform DAR imaging and dosimetric analysis of the distribution of radioactivity, and hence the absorbed dose rate, in tumor sections at an early time point after injection during radioimmunotherapy using 177 Lu-h11B6, directed against the human kallikrein 2 antigen., Methods: Male immunodeficient BALB/c nude mice, aged 6-8 w, were inoculated by subcutaneous injection of ∼10 7 LNCaP cells in a 200 μl suspension of a 1:1 mixture of medium and Matrigel. The antibody h11B6 was conjugated with the chelator CHX-A″-DTPA after which conjugated h11B6 was mixed with 177 LuCl 3 . The incubation was performed at room temperature for 2 h, after which the labeling was terminated and the solution was purified on a NAP-5 column. About 20 MBq 177 Lu-h11B6 was injected intravenously in the tail vein. At approximately 10 h postinjection (hpi), the mice were sacrificed and one tumor was collected from each of the five animals and cryosectioned into 10 μm thick slices. The tumor slices were measured and imaged using the DAR MicroImager system and the M3Vision software. Then the absorbed dose rate was calculated using a dose point kernel generated with the Monte Carlo code gate v7.0., Results: The DAR system produced high resolution images of the radioactivity distribution, close to the resolution of single PCa cells. The DAR images revealed a pronounced heterogeneous radioactivity distribution, i.e., count rate per area, in the tumors, indicated by the normalized intensity variations along cross sections as mean ± SD: 0.15 ± 0.15, 0.20 ± 0.18, 0.12 ± 0.17, 0.15 ± 0.16, and 0.23 ± 0.22, for each tumor section, respectively. The absorbed dose rate distribution for 177 Lu at the time of dissection 10 hpi showed a maximum value of 2.9 ± 0.4 Gy/h (mean ± SD), compared to 6.0 ± 0.9 and 159 ± 25 Gy/h for the hypothetical 90 Y and 7 MeV alpha-particle cases assuming the same count rate densities. Mean absorbed dose rate values were 0.13, 0.53, and 6.43 Gy/h for 177 Lu, 90 Y, and alpha-particles, respectively., Conclusions: The initial uptake of 177 Lu-h11B6 produces a high absorbed dose rate, which is important for a successful therapeutic outcome. The hypothetical 90 Y case indicates a less heterogeneous absorbed dose rate distribution and a higher mean absorbed dose rate compared to 177 Lu, although with a potentially increased irradiation of surrounding healthy tissue. The hypothetical alpha-particle case indicates the possibility of a higher maximum absorbed dose rate, although with a more heterogeneous absorbed dose rate distribution.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the USA. In the United States, it is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer after skin cancer, and in Europe it is number one. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 221,000 men in the United States would be diagnosed with PCa during 2015, and approximately 28,000 would die of the disease. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, approximately 345,000 men were diagnosed with PCa in Europe during 2012, and despite more emphasis placed on early detection through routine screening, 72,000 men died of the disease. Hence, the need for improved therapy modalities is of utmost importance. And targeted therapies based on radiolabeled specific antibodies or peptides are a very interesting and promising alternative to increase the therapeutic efficacy and overall chance of survival of these patients. There are currently several preclinical and some clinical studies that have been conducted, or are ongoing, to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) against PCa. One thing that is lacking in a lot of these published studies is the dosimetry data, which are needed to compare results between the studies and the study locations. Given the complicated tumor microenvironment and overall complexity of RIT to PCa, old and new targets and targeting strategies like combination RIT and pretargeting RIT are being improved and assessed along with various therapeutic radionuclides candidates. Given alone or in combination with other therapies, these new and improved strategies and RIT tools further enhance the clinical response to RIT drugs in PCa, making RIT for PCa an increasingly practical clinical tool., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the radiosensitivity of the prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP, DU145, and PC3 when irradiated with beta particles emitted from (177)Lu, and to compare the effect with irradiation using alpha particles or gamma rays., Materials and Methods: Cells were irradiated with beta particles emitted from (177)Lu, alpha particles from (241)Am, or gamma rays from (137)Cs. A non-specific polyclonal antibody was labeled with (177)Lu and used to irradiate cells in suspension with beta particles. A previously described in-house developed alpha-particle irradiator based on a (241)Am source was used to irradiate cells with alpha particles. External gamma-ray irradiation was achieved using a standard (137)Cs irradiator. Cells were irradiated to absorbed doses equal to 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 Gy. The absorbed doses were calculated as mean absorbed doses. For evaluation of cell survival, the tetrazolium-based WST-1 assay was used. After irradiation, WST-1 was added to the cell solutions, incubated, and then measured for level of absorbance at 450 nm, indicating the live and viable cells., Results: LNCaP, DU145, and PC3 cell lines all had similar patterns of survival for the different radiation types. No significant difference in surviving fractions were observed between cells treated with beta-particle and gamma-ray irradiation, represented for example by the surviving fraction values (mean±SD) at 2, 6, and 10 Gy (SF2, SF6, and SF10) for DU145 after beta-particle irradiation: 0.700±0.090, 0.186±0.050 and 0.056±0.010, respectively. A strong radiosensitivity to alpha particles was observed, with SF2 values of 0.048±0.008, 0.018±0.006 and 0.015±0.005 for LNCaP, DU145, and PC3, respectively., Conclusion: The surviving fractions after irradiation using beta particles or gamma rays did not differ significantly at the absorbed dose levels and dose rates used. Irradiation using alpha particles led to a high level of cell killing. The results show that the beta-particle emitter (177)Lu as well as alpha-particles are both good candidates for radionuclide-therapy applications in the treatment of prostate cancer., (Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

An α-particle irradiator, enabling high-precision irradiation of cells for in vitro studies, has been constructed. The irradiation source was a (241)Am source, on which well inserts containing cancer cells growing in monolayer were placed. The total radioactivity, uniformity, and α-particle spectrum were determined by use of HPGe detector, Gafchromic dosimetry film, and PIPS detector measurements, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations were used for dosimetry. Three prostate cancer (LNCaP, DU145, PC3) and three pancreatic cancer (Capan-1, Panc-1, BxPC-3) cell lines were irradiated by α-particles to the absorbed doses 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 Gy. For reference, cells were irradiated using (137)Cs to the absorbed doses 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 Gy. Radiation sensitivity was estimated using a tetrazolium salt-based colorimetric assay with absorbance measurements at 450 nm. The relative biological effectiveness for α-particles relative to γ-irradiation at 37% cell survival for the LNCaP, DU145, PC3, Capan-1, Panc-1, and BxPC-3 cells was 7.9 ± 1.7, 8.0 ± 0.8, 7.0 ± 1.1, 12.5 ± 1.6, 9.4 ± 0.9, and 6.2 ± 0.7, respectively. The results show the feasibility of constructing a desktop α-particle irradiator as well as indicate that both prostate and pancreatic cancers are good candidates for further studies of α-particle radioimmunotherapy.

This article presents a general discussion on what has been achieved so far and on the possible future developments of targeted alpha (α)-particle therapy (TAT). Clinical applications and potential benefits of TAT are addressed as well as the drawbacks, such as the limited availability of relevant radionuclides. Alpha-particles have a particular advantage in targeted therapy because of their high potency and specificity. These features are due to their densely ionizing track structure and short path length. The most important consequence, and the major difference compared with the more widely used β(-)-particle emitters, is that single targeted cancer cells can be killed by self-irradiation with α-particles. Several clinical trials on TAT have been reported, completed, or are on-going: four using (213)Bi, two with (211)At, two with (225)Ac, and one with (212)Pb/(212)Bi. Important and conceptual proof-of-principle of the therapeutic advantages of α-particle therapy has come from clinical studies with (223)Ra-dichloride therapy, showing clear benefits in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify gene expression profiles distinguishing alpha-particle (211)At and (60)Co irradiation., Materials and Methods: Gene expression microarray profiling was performed using total RNA from confluent human fibroblasts 5 hours after exposure to (211)At labeled trastuzumab monoclonal antibody (0.25, 0.5, and 1 Gy) and (60)Co (1, 2, and 3 Gy)., Results: We report gene expression profiles that distinguish the effect different radiation qualities and absorbed doses have on cellular functions in human fibroblasts. In addition, we identified commonly expressed transcripts between (211)At and (60)Co irradiation. A greater number of transcripts were modulated by (211)At than (60)Co irradiation. In addition, down-regulation was more prevalent than up-regulation following (211)At irradiation. Several biological processes were enriched for both irradiation qualities such as transcription, cell cycle regulation, and cell cycle arrest, whereas mitosis, spindle assembly checkpoint, and apoptotic chromosome condensation were uniquely enriched for alpha particle irradiation., Conclusions: LET-dependent transcriptional modulations were observed in human fibroblasts 5 hours after irradiation exposure. These findings suggest that in comparison with (60)Co, (211)At has the clearest influence on both tumor protein p53-activated and repressed genes, which impose a greater overall burden to the cell following alpha particle irradiation.

Unlabelled: Abstract Purpose: Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) against intraperitoneal (i.p.) ovarian microtumors using avidin-conjugated monoclonal antibody MX35 (avidin-MX35) and (211)At-labeled, biotinylated, succinylated poly-l-lysine ((211)At-B-PLsuc) was compared with conventional radioimmunotherapy (RIT) using (211)At-labeled MX35 in a nude mouse model., Methods: Mice were inoculated i.p. with 1×10(7) NIH:OVCAR-3 cells. After 3 weeks, they received PRIT (1.0 or 1.5 MBq), RIT (0.9 MBq), or no treatment. Concurrently, 10 additional animals were sacrificed and examined to determine disease progression at the start of therapy. Treated animals were analyzed with regard to presence of tumors and ascites (tumor-free fraction; TFF), 8 weeks after therapy., Results: Tumor status at baseline was advanced: 70% of sacrificed animals exhibited ascites. The TFFs were 0.35 (PRIT 1.0 MBq), 0.45 (PRIT 1.5 MBq), and 0.45 (RIT). The 1.5-MBq PRIT group exhibited lower incidence of ascites and fewer tumors >1 mm than RIT-treated animals., Conclusions: PRIT was as effective as RIT with regard to TFF; however, the size distribution of tumors and presence of ascites indicated that 1.5-MBq PRIT was more efficient. Despite advanced disease in many animals at the time of treatment, PRIT demonstrated good potential to treat disseminated ovarian cancer.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy and biodistribution of the monoclonal antibody MX35 labeled with either (213)Bi or (211)At, both α-emitters, in an ovarian cancer model., Methods: One hundred female nude BALB/c (nu/nu) mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with human ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3). Two weeks later, 40 of these mice were injected intraperitoneally with ~2.7 MBq of (213)Bi-MX35 (n=20) or ~0.44 MBq of (211)At-MX35 (n=20). Four weeks after inoculation, 40 new OVCAR-3-inoculated mice were injected with the same activities of (213)Bi-MX35 (n=20) or (211)At-MX35 (n=20). Presence of tumors and ascites was investigated 8 weeks after therapy. Biodistributions of intraperitoneally injected (213)Bi-MX35 and (211)At-MX35 were studied in tumor-free nude BALB/c (nu/nu) mice (n=16)., Results: The animals injected with (213)Bi-MX35 or (211)At-MX35 2 weeks after cell inoculation had tumor-free fractions (TFFs) of 0.60 and 0.90, respectively. The untreated reference group had a TFF of 0.20. The groups treated with (213)Bi-MX35 or (211)At-MX35 4 weeks after inoculation both had TFFs of 0.25, and the reference animals all exhibited evidence of disease. The biodistributions of (213)Bi-MX35 and (211)At-MX35 were very similar to each other and displayed no alarming activity levels in the investigated organs., Conclusions: Micrometastatic growth of an ovarian cancer cell line was reduced in nude mice after treatment with (213)Bi-MX35or (211)At-MX35. Treatment with (211)At-MX35 provided a non-significantly better result for the chosen activity levels. The radiolabeled MX35 did not accumulate to a high extent in the investigated organs. No considerable signs of toxicity were observed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Alpha-particle therapy has received increased attention during the last few years because of the development of new targeting constructs and new labeling techniques and the availability of suitable α-particle - emitting radionuclides. This work provides an overview of methods that have been used in clinical trials in estimating the absorbed dose to tumors and healthy tissue in patients following such α-particle therapy. Similarities and differences compared to conventional therapies using β¯-particle emitters are presented. The specific challenges of establishing accurate dosimetry for α- particles in the individual patient are also discussed, as is the effect that improved patient-specific dosimetry might have on the overall efficacy of this type of therapy.

The progress in the field of targeted α-particle therapy (TAT) has to a great extent been enhanced by developments in both recombinant DNA technology and radionuclide labeling chemistry. Advances in genomics and proteomics have promoted an increase in the identification of novel targets and molecules that can define different diseases, such as cancer. In radioimmunotherapy (RIT), the primary goal is to improve delivery to and therapeutic efficacy of the cancer cells, whilst minimizing toxicity. Different approaches have been investigated to achieve this, such as reducing the size of the carrier, pretargeting, multidosing, locoregional administration and using a cocktail of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies for targeting multiple antigens simultaneously. Some of these approaches have been encouraging, but translation of TAT into the clinic has been slow, in part because of the limited availability and the short physical half-lives of some of the available α-particle emitters. The clinical studies carried out to date have been promising, although many challenges remain in order to make TAT safe and economically feasible. In this paper a number of different targeting constructs used hitherto that may be promising carriers for TAT in the future are presented and discussed. The constructs include enzymatic cleaved antibody fragments (Fab and F(ab˙)2 fragments); genetically engineered antibody fragments (scFv monomer, dimer (i.e. diabody) and tetramer, CH2 domain deleted antibody fragments); other protein targeting constructs such as affibodies and peptides as well as liposomal delivery.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of advanced ovarian cancer in mice, using α-radioimmunotherapy with different high specific activities. The study was performed using the monoclonal antibody (mAb) MX35 F(ab')2 labeled with the α-particle emitter 211 At., Methods: Animals were intraperitoneally inoculated with ≥1 × 10 7 cells of the ovarian cancer cell line NIH:OVCAR-3. Four weeks later 9 groups of animals were given 25, 50, or 400 kBq 211 At-MX35 F(ab')2 with specific activities equal to 1/80, 1/500, or 1/1200 ( 211 At atom/number of mAbs) for every activity level respectively ( n = 10 in each group). As controls, animals were given PBS or unlabeled MX35 F(ab')2 in PBS ( n = 10 in each group). Eight weeks after treatment the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macroscopic tumors was determined by meticulous ocular examination of the abdominal cavity. Cumulated activity and absorbed dose calculations on tumor cells and tumors were performed using in house developed program. Specimens for scanning electron-microscopy analysis were collected from the peritoneum at the time of dissection., Results: Summing over the different activity levels (25, 50, and 400 kBq 211 At-MX35 F(ab')2) the number of animals with macroscopic tumors was 13, 17, and 22 ( n = 30 for each group) for the specific activities equal to 1/80, 1/500, or 1/1200, respectively. Logistic-regression analysis showed a significant trend that higher specific activity means less probability for macroscopic tumors ( P = 0.02)., Conclusions: Increasing the specific activity indicates a way to enhance the therapeutic outcome of advanced ovarian cancer, regarding macroscopic tumors. Further studies of the role of the specific activity are therefore justified., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest.

The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of alpha-radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice using different fractionated treatment regimens. The study was performed using the monoclonal antibody MX35 F(ab')(2) labeled with the alpha-particle emitter (211)At. Methods. Nude mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with ~1 x 10(7) cells of the cell line NIH:OVCAR-3. Four weeks later 6 groups of animals were given 400 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) as a single or as a repeated treatment of up to 6 times (n = 18 in each group). The fractionated treatments were given every seventh day. Control animals were treated with unlabeled MX35 F(ab')(2) (n = 12). Eight weeks posttreatment the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macro- and microscopic tumors and ascites was determined. Results. The tumor-free fractions (TFFs) of the animals, defined as the fraction of animals with no macro- and microtumors and no ascites, were 0.17, 0.11, 0.39, 0.44, 0.44, and 0.67 when treated with 400 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) once or 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 times, respectively. Repeated treatment 3 times or more resulted in a significantly higher (P < .05) TFF than compared to treatment once or twice. The presence of ascites decreased from 15 out of 18 animals in the group given only one treatment to zero for the 2 groups given 5 or 6 fractions. Treatment with unlabeled MX35 F(ab')(2) resulted in a TFF of zero. Conclusion. Weekly repeated intraperitoneal injections of tolerable amounts of activity of (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) of up to 6 times produced increased therapeutic efficacy without observed toxicity, indicating a potential increase of the therapeutic index.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of the alpha-radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice, using different specific activities. This study was performed by using the monoclonal antibody, MX35 F(ab')(2), labeled with the alpha-particle-emitter, 211At., Methods: Animals were intraperitoneally inoculated with approximately 1 x 10(7) cells of the cell line, NIH:OVCAR-3. Four (4) weeks later, five groups of animals were given 400 kBq of 211At-MX35 F(ab')(2) with specific activities equal to 130, 65, 32, 16, or 4 kBq/microg, respectively (n = 18 in each group). As controls, animals were given unlabeled MX35 F(ab')(2) (n = 12). Eight (8) weeks after treatment, the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macro- and microscopic tumors and ascites was determined., Results: The tumor-free fractions (TFFs) of the animals, defined as the fraction of animals with no macro- and microtumors and no ascites, were 0.67, 0.73, 0.50, 0.50, and 0.17 when treated as above. Only the TFF of 0.17, for the specific activity of 4 kBq/microg, was significantly less, compared to that of the specific activity of 130 kBq/microg. The TFF for the specific activity of 4 kBq/microg showed a significant lowering, compared to the specific activity of 130 kBq/microg (p < 0.05). Treatment with unlabeled MX35 F(ab')(2) resulted in a TFF of zero., Conclusions: A specific activity-dependent therapeutic outcome could not be shown in the interval of 130- to 16 kBq/mug. For lower specific activities (i.e., 4 kBq/microg), the therapeutic efficacy was significantly lowered.

Unlabelled: The alpha-emitter (211)At labeled to a monoclonal antibody has proven safe and effective in treating microscopic ovarian cancer in the abdominal cavity of mice. Women in complete clinical remission after second-line chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian carcinoma were enrolled in a phase I study. The aim was to determine the pharmacokinetics for assessing absorbed dose to normal tissues and investigating toxicity., Methods: Nine patients underwent laparoscopy 2-5 d before the therapy; a peritoneal catheter was inserted, and the abdominal cavity was inspected to exclude the presence of macroscopic tumor growth or major adhesions. (211)At was labeled to MX35 F(ab')(2) using the reagent N-succinimidyl-3-(trimethylstannyl)-benzoate. Patients were infused with (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) (22.4-101 MBq/L) in dialysis solution via the peritoneal catheter. gamma-Camera scans were acquired on 3-5 occasions after infusion, and a SPECT scan was acquired at 6 h. Samples of blood, urine, and peritoneal fluid were collected at 1-48 h. Hematology and renal and thyroid function were followed for a median of 23 mo., Results: Pharmacokinetics and dosimetric results were related to the initial activity concentration (IC) of the infused solution. The decay-corrected activity concentration decreased with time in the peritoneal fluid to 50% IC at 24 h, increased in serum to 6% IC at 45 h, and increased in the thyroid to 127% +/- 63% IC at 20 h without blocking and less than 20% IC with blocking. No other organ uptakes could be detected. The cumulative urinary excretion was 40 kBq/(MBq/L) at 24 h. The estimated absorbed dose to the peritoneum was 15.6 +/- 1.0 mGy/(MBq/L), to red bone marrow it was 0.14 +/- 0.04 mGy/(MBq/L), to the urinary bladder wall it was 0.77 +/- 0.19 mGy/(MBq/L), to the unblocked thyroid it was 24.7 +/- 11.1 mGy/(MBq/L), and to the blocked thyroid it was 1.4 +/- 1.6 mGy/(MBq/L) (mean +/- SD). No adverse effects were observed either subjectively or in laboratory parameters., Conclusion: This study indicates that by intraperitoneal administration of (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) it is possible to achieve therapeutic absorbed doses in microscopic tumor clusters without significant toxicity.

Unlabelled: (211)At-labeled tumor-specific antibodies have long been considered for the treatment of disseminated cancer. However, the limited availability of the nuclide and the poor efficacy of labeling procedures at clinical activity levels present major obstacles to their use. This study evaluated a procedure for the direct astatination of antibodies for the production of clinical activity levels., Methods: The monoclonal antibody trastuzumab was conjugated with the reagent N-succinimidyl-3-(trimethylstannyl)benzoate, and the immunoconjugate was labeled with astatine. Before astatination of the conjugated antibody, the nuclide was activated with N-iodosuccinimide. The labeling reaction was evaluated in terms of reaction time, volume of reaction solvent, immunoconjugate concentration, and applied activity. The quality of the astatinated antibodies was determined by in vitro analysis and biodistribution studies in nude mice., Results: The reaction proceeded almost instantaneously, and the results indicated a low dependence on immunoconjugate concentration and applied activity. Radiochemical labeling yields were in the range of 68%-81%, and a specific radioactivity of up to 1 GBq/mg could be achieved. Stability and radiochemical purity were equal to or better than those attained with a conventional 2-step procedure. Dissociation constants for directly astatinated, conventionally astatinated, and radioiodinated trastuzumab were 1.0+/-0.06 (mean+/-SD), 0.44+/-0.06, and 0.29+/-0.02 nM, respectively. The tissue distribution in non-tumor-bearing nude mice revealed only minor differences in organ uptake relative to that obtained with the conventional method., Conclusion: The direct astatination procedure enables the high-yield production of astatinated antibodies with radioactivity in the amounts required for clinical applications.

Purpose: To investigate the potential use of astatine-211 (211At)-labeled trastuzumab for the treatment of HER-2-positive, radioresistant ovarian carcinoma., Methods and Materials: Four-week-old nude mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 5 . 10(6) SKOV-3 cells in 0.4 mL saline on Day 0. The endpoint was the total tumor weight in each mouse on Day 63. Three experiments were performed in which the response to single-dose and fractionated treatment with unlabeled and 211At-labeled antibody was evaluated., Results: Experiment 1 showed, for the same total amount of trastuzumab, a dose-response relationship between 211At activity (0-400 kBq on Day 7) and therapeutic efficacy (p = 0.001). The effect of varying the amount of unlabeled trastuzumab was studied in Experiment 2. All mice, except for the controls, received 400 kBq 211At-trastuzumab, and different groups received 5, 50, or 500 microg trastuzumab on Day 7. The increase from 5 to 50 microg trastuzumab reduced the tumors by 78% in weight. No tumors were present in mice given 500 microg trastuzumab. In Experiment 3, the effect of a fractionated treatment regimen was studied. Mice that received 100 kBq 211At-trastuzumab on Days 7 and 8 had a 42% smaller tumor burden than did controls. Groups of mice injected with 200 + 100 kBq on Days 7 and 21 and mice injected with 100 kBq on Days 7, 8, and 21 both had 24% less tumor weight than the corresponding controls., Conclusion: The combination of 500 microg trastuzumab and 400 kBq 211At-trastuzumab had the greatest effect, with complete eradication of the tumors in this nude mouse model.

Purpose: To elucidate the therapeutic efficacy of alpha-radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice. This study: (i) estimated the minimum required activity (MRA), giving a reasonable high therapeutic efficacy; and (ii) calculated the specific energy to tumor cell nuclei and the metastatic cure probability (MCP) using various assumptions regarding monoclonal-antibody (mAb) distribution in measured tumors. The study was performed using the alpha-particle emitter Astatine-211 (211At) labeled to the mAb MX35 F(ab')2., Methods and Materials: Animals were inoculated intraperitoneally with approximately 1 x 10(7) cells of the cell line NIH:OVCAR-3. Four weeks later animals were treated with 25, 50, 100, or 200 kBq 211At-MX35 F(ab')2 (n = 74). Another group of animals was treated with a nonspecific mAb: 100 kBq 211At-Rituximab F(ab')2 (n = 18). Eight weeks after treatment the animals were sacrificed and presence of macro- and microscopic tumors and ascites was determined. An MCP model was developed and compared with the experimentally determined tumor-free fraction (TFF)., Results: When treatment was given 4 weeks after cell inoculation, the TFFs were 25%, 22%, 50%, and 61% after treatment with 25, 50, 100, or 200 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')2, respectively, the specific energy to irradiated cell nuclei varying between approximately 2 and approximately 400 Gy., Conclusion: As a significant increase in the therapeutic efficacy was observed between the activity levels of 50 and 100 kBq (TFF increase from 22% to 50%), the conclusion was that the MRA is approximately 100 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')2. MCP was most consistent with the TFF when assuming a diffusion depth of 30 mum of the mAbs in the tumors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and myelotoxicity during fractionated radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice. The study was performed using the monoclonal antibody MX35 F(ab')(2) labeled with the alpha-particle emitter (211)At., Methods: Animals were intraperitoneally inoculated with approximately 1x10(7) cells of the cell line NIH:OVCAR-3. Four weeks later, the mice were given the first treatment. Six groups of animals were intraperitoneally injected with approximately 800, 3x approximately 267, approximately 400, 3x approximately 133, approximately 50 or 3x approximately 17 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) (n=18 in each group). The second and third injections for Groups 2, 4 and 6 were given 4 and 8 days after the first injection, respectively. As controls, animals were treated with unlabeled MX35 F(ab')(2) (n=12). Eight weeks after the last injection, the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macro- and microscopic tumors and ascites was determined. Blood counts were determined for each mouse in Groups 1 and 2 before the first injection and 3, 7, 11, 15 and 23 days after the first injection. The calculation of the mean absorbed dose to the bone marrow was based on the ratio between the (211)At-activity concentration in bone and blood [i.e., the bone-to-blood ratio (BBLR)] as well as that between the (211)At-activity concentration in bone marrow and blood [i.e., the bone-marrow-to-blood ratio (BMBLR)] and the cumulated activity and absorbed fraction of the alpha-particles emitted by (211)At in the bone marrow., Results: The tumor-free fractions of animals were 56% and 41% when treated with approximately 800 kBq and 3x approximately 267 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2), respectively; 39% and 28% when treated with approximately 400 kBq and 3x approximately 133 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2), respectively; and 17% and 22% when treated with approximately 50 kBq or 3x approximately 17 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2), respectively. The nadir of the white blood cell (WBC) counts was decreased (from 46% to 19%, compared with the baseline WBC counts) and delayed (from Day 4 to Day 11 after the first injection) during the fractionated treatment compared with the single-dose treatment. The percentage of injected activity per gram (%IA/g) for blood, bone and bone marrow all peaked 6 h after injection at 13.80+/-1.34%IA/g, 4.00+/-0.69%IA/g and 8.28+/-1.38%IA/g, respectively. The BBLR and BMBLR were 0.20+/-0.04 and 0.58+/-0.01, respectively. The mean absorbed dose to bone marrow was approximately 0.4 Gy after intraperitoneally injecting approximately 800 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2)., Conclusion: No advantage was observed in the therapeutic efficacy of using a fractionated regimen compared with a single administration, with the same total amount of administered activity. Alleviation of the myelotoxicity was observed during the fractionated regimen in terms of decreased suppression and delayed nadir of the WBC counts. No thrombocytopenia was observed during either regimen.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this work was to (a) investigate the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy using 211At-MX35 F(ab')2 or 211At-Rituximab F(ab')2 (nonspecific antibody) against differently advanced ovarian cancer in mice; (b) image the tumor growth on the peritoneum; and (c) calculate the specific energy and mean absorbed dose to tumors and critical organs., Methods: Two experiments with 5-wk-old nude mice (n = 100 + 93), intraperitoneally inoculated with approximately 1 x 10(7) NIH:OVCAR-3 cells, were done. At either 1, 3, 4, 5, or 7 wk after inoculation animals were intraperitoneally treated with approximately 400 kBq 211At-MX35 F(ab')2 (n = 50 + 45), approximately 400 kBq 211At-Rituximab F(ab')2 (n = 25 + 24), or unlabeled Rituximab F(ab')2 (n = 25 + 24). At the time of treatment 29 animals were sacrificed and biopsies were taken for determination of tumor sizes using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Eight weeks after each treatment the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macro- and microscopic tumors and ascites was determined. The specific energy and mean absorbed dose to tumors were calculated. The activity concentration was measured in critical organs and abdominal fluid., Results: When given treatment 1, 3, 4, 5, or 7 wk after cell inoculation the tumor-free fraction (TFF) was 95%, 68%, 58%, 47%, 26%, and 100%, 80%, 20%, 20%, and 0% when treated with 211At-MX35 F(ab')2 or 211At-Rituximab F(ab')2, respectively. The SEM images revealed maximum tumor radius of approximately 30 mum 1 wk after cell inoculation, increasing to approximately 340 mum at 7 wk. Specific energy to cell nuclei varied between 0 and approximately 540 Gy, depending on assumptions regarding activity distribution and tumor size. The mean absorbed dose to thyroid, kidneys, and bone marrow was approximately 35, approximately 4, and approximately 0.3 Gy, respectively., Conclusion: Treatment with 211At-MX35 F(ab')2 or 211At-Rituximab F(ab')2 resulted in a TFF of 95%-100% when the tumor radius was < or =30 microm. The TFF was decreased (TFF < or = 20%) for 211At-Rituximab F(ab')2 when the tumor radius exceeded the range of the alpha-particles. The specific antibody gave for these tumor sizes a significantly better TFF, explained by a high mean absorbed dose (>22 Gy) from the activity bound to the tumor surface and probably some contribution from penetrating activity.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of-and to estimate the absorbed dose to-tumor cells from radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in an ovarian cancer model using the alpha-particle-emitting nuclide (211)At labeled to monoclonal antibody (mAb) MX35. Previous studies on mAb MOv18 did not allow for dosimetry because of antigen shedding in vitro., Methods: Five-week-old female nude BALB/c nu/nu mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 1 x 10(7) cells of the human tumor cell line OVCAR-3. Three weeks later, the animals were given approximately 400, 800, or 1,200 kBq of (211)At-labeled mAb MX35 intraperitoneally. As controls, one group of animals was injected with unlabeled mAb and another group was injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Another group was given approximately 400 kBq of (211)At labeled to the previously investigated mAb MOv18 for efficacy comparison. Two months after treatment, the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macroscopic and microscopic tumors, as well as ascites, was determined. The absorbed dose to tumor cells on the peritoneal surface was estimated in terms of the sum of a specific and a nonspecific contribution. The specific contribution, arising from mAbs binding to the antigenic sites on the cell membrane, was calculated using a dynamic compartment model developed in-house and Monte Carlo software. The model used as input values the number of mAbs injected into the abdominal cavity, N(mAb), the specific activity, A(sp), the association rate constant, k(on), and the maximal number of mAbs bound per cell, B(max)-all determined by in vitro experiments. This specific component of the absorbed dose was calculated for assumed cell cluster sizes with radii of 25, 50, and 100 microm. The nonspecific contribution to the absorbed dose was derived from unbound mAbs freely circulating in the abdominal cavity, also using the Monte Carlo software., Results: In the control groups given unlabeled MX35 or PBS, all 18 animals had ascites, 6 of 9 animals in each group had macroscopic tumors, and all animals had microscopic growth. In the 3 groups given different amounts of (211)At-MX35, only 3 of 25 animals developed ascites. None of these animals had any sign of macroscopic tumors, but 8 had microscopic growth. In the group given (211)At-MOv18, no animals had ascites or macroscopic tumors, but 3 of 10 animals had microscopic tumors. After injecting 400 kBq of (211)At-MX35, the absorbed dose due to specific binding, for a cell cluster with a radius of 50 microm, ranged from 413 to 223 Gy between 0- and 45-microm distance from the cluster center, assuming a homogeneous distribution of (211)At-MX35 in the cluster. The contribution from unbound (211)At-MX35 and (211)At-MX35 only distributed on the cluster surface, for this cluster size, ranged from 7 to 14 Gy and from 29 to 94 Gy, between 0- and 45-microm distance from the cluster center, respectively. The calculated total absorbed doses are in a clinically relevant range and were effective as verified in the nude mice with subclinical intraperitoneal growth of OVCAR-3 cells., Conclusion: (211)At-MX35 injected intraperitoneally exhibits a high efficacy when treating micrometastatic growth of the ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-3 on the peritoneum of nude mice.

Unlabelled: The rationale of this study was to determine the myelotoxicity in nude mice of the alpha-emitter 211At conjugated to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and to compare the effect with an electron emitter, (99m)Tc, and external irradiation from a 60Co source, for estimation of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE)., Methods: 211At and (99m)Tc were conjugated to the IgG1 mAbs MX35 and 88BV59. Nude female BALB/c mice, 8- to 12-wk old, were injected intraperitoneally or intravenously. The biodistribution was determined 3, 6, and 18 h after injection. The bone-to-blood and bone marrow-to-blood activity concentration ratios (BBLR and BMBLR, respectively) were determined for simultaneously injected 211At- and (99m)Tc-mAbs. Bone marrow samples were taken from the femur. For each mouse, the whole-body retention was measured as well as the blood activity by repeated blood samples from the tail vein (0), 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 h after injection. External-beam irradiation from a 60Co source was also performed at 3 different dose levels. White blood cell (WBC) counts, red blood cell counts, platelet counts, and hemoglobin were determined for each mouse initially and on days 1, 4, 5, 7, 15, 22, and 27 after injection. The calculations of the absorbed dose to the bone marrow were based on the BBLR, BMBLR, the cumulated activities, and the absorbed fractions. The absorbed fractions, phi, for alpha-particles and electrons in the bone marrow were calculated using Monte Carlo simulations based on a bone marrow dosimetry model., Results: The BMBLR was 0.58 +/- 0.06 and 0.56 +/- 0.06 for the 211At- and (99m)Tc-mAbs, respectively. No significant variation in BMBLR with time was found. The absorbed fractions for alpha-particles and electrons in the bone marrow were 0.88 and 0.75, respectively. The mean absorbed fractions of the photons from (99m)Tc were 0.033 and 0.52 for 140 and 18.3 keV, respectively. When different amounts of 211At- and (99m)Tc-mAbs (0.09-1.3 and 250-1,300 MBq, respectively) were administered intraperitoneally or intravenously, corresponding to absorbed doses to the bone marrow of 0.01-0.60 and 0.39-1.92 Gy, respectively, the WBC counts was suppressed by 1%-90% and 23%-89%, respectively. When external-beam irradiation with a 60Co source was performed to absorbed doses of 1.4, 1.9, and 2.4 Gy, the WBC counts was suppressed by 47%-90%. These results indicate a myelotoxic in vivo RBE of 3.4 +/- 0.6 for alpha-particles compared with (99m)Tc and 5.0 +/- 0.9 compared with 60Co irradiation., Conclusion: The effect on the WBC counts from bone marrow irradiation with 211At-mAbs indicates an in vivo RBE of 3.4 +/- 0.6 in comparison with (99m)Tc-mAbs. The RBE value compared with external irradiation is 5.0 +/- 0.9.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to establish and refine a preclinical model to alpha-immunoradiotherapy of ovarian cancer., Experimental Design: At-211 was produced by cyclotron irradiation of a bismuth-209 target and isolated using a novel dry distillation procedure. Monoclonal antibodies were radiohalogenated with the intermediate reagent N-succinimidyl 3-(trimethylstannyl)benzoate and characterized in terms of radiochemical yield and in vitro binding properties. In vitro OVCAR-3 cells were irradiated using an external Cobalt-60 beam, as reference, or At-211-albumin and labeled antibody. Growth assays were used to establish cell survival. A Monte Carlo program was developed to simulate the energy imparted and the track length distribution. Nude mice were used for studies of WBC depression, with various activities of Tc-99m antibodies, as reference, and At-211 antibodies. In efficacy studies, OVCAR-3 cells were inoculated i.p., and animals were treated 2 weeks later. The animals were either dissected 6 weeks later or followed-up for long-term survival., Results: A rapid distillation procedure, as well as a rapid and high-yield, single-pot labeling procedure, was achieved. From growth inhibition data, the relative biological effectiveness of the alpha-emission for OVCAR-3 cells was estimated to be approximately 5, which is in the same range as found in vivo for hematological toxicity. At-211 MOv18 was found to effectively inhibit the development of tumors and ascites, also resulting in long-term survival without significant toxic effect., Conclusions: Use of the short-range, high-linear energy transfer alpha-emitter At-211 conjugated to a surface epitope-recognizing monoclonal antibody appears to be highly efficient without significant toxicity in a mouse peritoneal tumor model, urging a Phase I clinical trial.