Targeted radiopharmaceutical delivery to the brain

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Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT) are imaging modalities to investigate diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders (Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease). The biggest advantage for patients suffering from these diseases is that the actual investigation using these machines is completely non-invasive, involving no pain or discomfort. One drawback however is the use of radioactive substances serving as imaging agents to visualize the cancer or the receptor system involved in brain diseases. In the case of brain diseases only a small fraction of the injected imaging agent reaches the brain (<1%) and the rest of the radioactivity is found in other organs such as liver and kidney contributing to an unwanted radiation burden for the patient. The transport of the imaging agent into the brain is based on a very inefficient process called "passive diffusion" where no active transport is involved. We intend to develop a new generation of compounds for brain imaging based on the idea of coupling the imaging agent with a "molecular shuttle" responsible for active transport of this conjugate into the brain. A greater fraction of the imaging agent would enter the brain meaning that the overall dose of the compound could be decreased. This would ultimately reduce the radiation burden for the patient making these imaging methods better and also less expensive.