Evaluation of [¹⁸F]AlF-EMP-105 for Molecular Imaging of C-Met

C-Met is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in a range of different cancer types, and has been identified as a potential biomarker for cancer imaging and therapy. Previously, a Ga-68-labelled peptide, [Ga-68]Ga-EMP-100, has shown promise for imaging c-Met in renal cell carcinoma in humans. Herein, we report the synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of an [F-18]AlF-labelled analogue, [F-18]AlF-EMP-105, for c-Met imaging by positron emission tomography. EMP-105 was radiolabelled using the aluminium-[F-18]fluoride method with 46 & PLUSMN; 2% RCY and >95% RCP in 35-40 min. In vitro evaluation showed that [F-18]AlF-EMP-105 has a high specificity for c-Met-expressing cells. Radioactive metabolite analysis at 5 and 30 min post-injection revealed that [F-18]AlF-EMP-105 has good blood stability, but undergoes transformation-transchelation, defluorination or demetallation-in the liver and kidneys. PET imaging in non-tumour-bearing mice showed high radioactive accumulation in the kidneys, bladder and urine, demonstrating that the tracer is cleared predominantly as [F-18]fluoride by the renal system. With its high specificity for c-Met expressing cells, [F-18]AlF-EMP-105 shows promise as a potential diagnostic tool for imaging cancer.