[18F] FLT now available for use in cell proliferation studies
January 2010
Although [18F] FDG is the most broadly used PET radiotracer in oncology, it is associated with certain caveats, and in some applications its use is limited by its lack of specificity. The Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre is committed to the development of new tools and techniques for PET research. [18F] FLT, a radioisotope analogue of the building block of DNA thymidine, has been validated as a marker of cell proliferation and has been used widely for some years.
The Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre now has the facility for producing [18F] FLT to GMP standards for use in the clinical setting. It is being used in a number of cancer studies in partnership with the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The first of these is designed to assess changes in cell proliferation in patients with metastatic breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The primary hypothesis of this study is that very early changes in those physiological parameters can be measured by PET and MRI, and if this is found to be the case it will demonstrate the potential of these biomarkers for use in larger studies. The second of these is again concerned with establishing potential biomarkers, this time for use in studies into bowel cancer.