Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Neurotensin Receptor-Positive Tumors with 68 Ga-Labeled Antagonists: The Chelate Makes the Difference Again.

Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTS ₁ ) is involved in the development and progression of numerous cancers, which makes it an interesting target for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. A small molecule NTS ₁ antagonist, named [ ¹⁷⁷ Lu]Lu-IPN01087, is currently evaluated in phase I/II clinical trials for the targeted therapy of neurotensin receptor-positive cancers. In this study, we synthesized seven compounds based on the structure of NTS ₁ antagonists, bearing different chelating agents, and radiolabeled them with gallium-68 for PET imaging. These compounds were evaluated in vitro and in vivo in mice bearing a HT-29 xenograft. The compound [ ⁶⁸ Ga]Ga-bisNODAGA- 16 showed a promising biodistribution profile with mainly signal in tumor (4.917 ± 0.776%ID/g, 2 h post-injection). Its rapid clearance from healthy tissues led to high tumor-to-organ ratios, resulting in highly contrasted PET images. These results were confirmed on subcutaneous xenografts of AsPC-1 tumor cells, a model of NTS ₁ -positive human pancreatic adenocarcinoma.