Current Perspectives on ⁸⁹Zr-PET Imaging

• Main Authors: Joon-Kee Yoon, Bok-Nam Park, Eun-Kyoung Ryu, Young-Sil An, Su-Jin Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: positron emission tomography; ⁸⁹Zr; monoclonal antibody; oncological imaging
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/12/4309
• ISSN: 1661-6596; 1422-0067

⁸⁹Zr is an emerging radionuclide that plays an essential role in immuno-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The long half-life of ⁸⁹Zr (t_1/2 = 3.3 days) is favorable for evaluating the in vivo distribution of monoclonal antibodies. Thus, the use of ⁸⁹Zr is promising for monitoring antibody-based cancer therapies. Immuno-PET combines the sensitivity of PET with the specificity of antibodies. A number of studies have been conducted to investigate the feasibility of ⁸⁹Zr immuno-PET imaging for predicting the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy and antibody therapies, imaging target expression, detecting target-expressing tumors, and the monitoring of anti-cancer chemotherapies. In this review, we summarize the current status of PET imaging using ⁸⁹Zr in both preclinical and clinical studies by highlighting the use of immuno-PET for the targets of high clinical relevance. We also present ⁸⁹Zr-PET applications other than immuno-PET, such as nanoparticle imaging and cell tracking. Finally, we discuss the limitations and the ongoing research being performed to overcome the remaining hurdles.