ImmunoPET Imaging of CD107a
Glioma is the most common type of malignant brain tumor in adults and is the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Gliomas comprise about 30% of all brain tumors and central nervous system tumors and have a 5-year survival rate of 36%. Due to an imprecise knowledge of tumor boundaries, lack of assessment of tumor sensitivity, and late detection of recurrences, clinical management is difficult and prognosis is dismal. Early diagnosis, staging, and tumor monitoring can aid in initial detection, provide information on the biological potential of a lesion, and allow increased opportunities to attempt treatment options.
Description
A promising option to improve diagnostic imaging is immunoPET, which combines the high sensitivity and quantitative capabilities of positron emission tomography (PET) with the specificity and selectivity of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against a given tumor cell surface marker. Targeting the cell surface marker CD107a, a marker of CD8+ T-cell degranulation and natural killer (NK) cell functional activity, with immunoPET probes can quantify the extent of T-cell mediated cytotoxic action, which directly correlates to immunotherapy. This technique serves as a novel diagnostic, a means of measuring immunotherapeutic response to treatment, and a non-invasive therapy. ImmunoPET imaging with CD107a mAbs represents a move away from a one-medicine-fits-all trial-and-error approach to treating cancer to offering the right treatment, for the right patient, at the right time, providing a more targeted, personalized, and efficient therapy.Applications
· Diagnosis and prognosis of tumor· Monitoring patients over time in a non-invasive manner
· Assessing the effectiveness of a given cancer therapy
· Selectively destroying disseminated tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue
Advantages
· Non-invasive· High sensitivity and resolution and highly specific for its target
· Empowers clinicians to change the course of an ineffective therapy earlier
· Spares patients the side effects of non-effective therapies
· Enables earlier diagnosis
· Targets two types of lymphocytes to activate both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune response