Molecular medicine: Synthesis and in-vivo detection of agents for use in boron neutron capture therapy. Final report, May 1, 1993--April 30, 1996

During the early stages of this project, the author developed the first whole-body boron MRI technique. They found that, for the first time, information concerning both the location and the quantity of boron present in living tissues could be obtained through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) respectively. However, it was also discovered that boron MRI was not without problems. Both naturally occurring isotopes of boron (boron-10 and boron-11) possess magnetic moments, making them amenable to MR detection. The author found that there are difficulties in obtaining boron MRI images which are a consequence of the inherently poor magnetic resonance characteristics of the boron nucleus. The magnetogyric ratios of both boron-10 and boron-11 are smaller than those of hydrogen, which makes boron much less sensitive to magnetic resonance detection. In addition, both isotopes of boron posses nuclear electric quadrupole moments which serve to shorten their magnetization relaxation times; this causes the MR signal to broaden and decay rapidly, often before the receiver coils can collect the MR information. The rapid rate of signal decay is enhanced in biological systems which leads to further signal loss and a decrease in the signal to noise ratio (SNR)

Molecular Medicine: Synthesis and In Vivo Detection of Agents for use in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. Final Report

The primary objective of the project was the development of in vivo methods for the detection and evaluation of tumors in humans. The project was focused on utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) to monitor the distribution and pharamacokinetics of a current boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) agent, p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) by labeling it with a fluorine-18, a positron emitting isotope. The PET data was then used to develop enhanced treatment planning protocols. The study also involved the synthesis of new tumor selective BNCTagents that could be labeled with radioactive nuclides for the in vivo detection of boron

Boron in nuclear medicine: New synthetic approaches to PET and SPECT. Final report, May 1, 1986--April 30, 1996

Research is described in the development of organometallic reagents in which the boron was attached to a nonreactive organic or inorganic matrix such as polystyrene, silica, or alumina. We developed the synthesis of oxygen-15 labelled butanol, which has been found to be a valuable blood flow agent in humans. We have also developed a series of polymeric borane derivatives which were used to prepare nitrogen-13 labelled amines

Boron microlocalization in oral mucosal tissue: implications for boron neutron capture therapy

Clinical studies of the treatment of glioma and cutaneous melanoma using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) are currently taking place in the USA, Europe and Japan. New BNCT clinical facilities are under construction in Finland, Sweden, England and California. The observation of transient acute effects in the oral mucosa of a number of glioma patients involved in the American clinical trials, suggests that radiation damage of the oral mucosa could be a potential complication in future BNCT clinical protocols, involving higher doses and larger irradiation field sizes. The present investigation is the first to use a high resolution surface analytical technique to relate the microdistribution of boron-10 (10B) in the oral mucosa to the biological effectiveness of the 10B(n,α)7Li neutron capture reaction in this tissue. The two boron delivery agents used clinically in Europe/Japan and the USA, borocaptate sodium (BSH) and p-boronophenylalanine (BPA), respectively, were evaluated using a rat ventral tongue model. 10B concentrations in various regions of the tongue mucosa were estimated using ion microscopy. In the epithelium, levels of 10B were appreciably lower after the administration of BSH than was the case after BPA. The epithelium:blood 10B partition ratios were 0.2:1 and 1:1 for BSH and BPA respectively. The 10B content of the lamina propria was higher than that measured in the epithelium for both BSH and BPA. The difference was most marked for BSH, where 10B levels were a factor of six higher in the lamina propria than in the epithelium. The concentration of 10B was also measured in blood vessel walls where relatively low levels of accumulation of BSH, as compared with BPA, was demonstrated in blood vessel endothelial cells and muscle. Vessel wall:blood 10B partition ratios were 0.3:1 and 0.9:1 for BSH and BPA respectively. Evaluation of tongue mucosal response (ulceration) to BNC irradiation indicated a considerably reduced radiation sensitivity using BSH as the boron delivery agent relative to BPA. The compound biological effectiveness (CBE) factor for BSH was estimated at 0.29 ± 0.02. This compares with a previously published CBE factor for BPA of 4.87 ± 0.16. It was concluded that variations in the microdistribution profile of 10B, using the two boron delivery agents, had a significant effect on the response of oral mucosa to BNC irradiation. From a clinical perspective, based on the findings of the present study, it is probable that potential radiation-induced oral mucositis will be restricted to BNCT protocols involving BPA. However, a thorough high resolution analysis of 10B microdistribution in human oral mucosal tissue, using a technique such as ion microscopy, is a prerequisite for the use of experimentally derived CBE factors in clinical BNCT. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Paramagnetic and fluorescent liposomes for target-specific imaging and therapy of tumor angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastatic potential and for that reason considered an important target for tumor treatment. Noninvasive imaging technologies, capable of visualizing tumor angiogenesis and evaluating the efficacy of angiostatic therapies, are therefore becoming increasingly important. Among the various imaging modalities, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is characterized by a superb spatial resolution and anatomical soft-tissue contrast. Revolutionary advances in contrast agent chemistry have delivered versatile angiogenesis-specific molecular MRI contrast agents. In this paper, we review recent advances in the preclinical application of paramagnetic and fluorescent liposomes for noninvasive visualization of the molecular processes involved in tumor angiogenesis. This liposomal contrast agent platform can be prepared with a high payload of contrast generating material, thereby facilitating its detection, and is equipped with one or more types of targeting ligands for binding to specific molecules expressed at the angiogenic site. Multimodal liposomes endowed with contrast material for complementary imaging technologies, e.g., MRI and optical, can be exploited to gain important preclinical insights into the mechanisms of binding and accumulation at angiogenic vascular endothelium and to corroborate the in vivo findings. Interestingly, liposomes can be designed to contain angiostatic therapeutics, allowing for image-supervised drug delivery and subsequent monitoring of therapeutic efficacy

Synthesis and in-vivo detection of boronated compounds for use in BNCT. Comprehensive progress report, August 1, 1989--July 31, 1992

The primary objective of the DOE program at The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine is the development of effective molecular medicine for use in neutron-capture therapy (NCT). The research focuses primarily on the preparation of new boron-rich NCT agents and the technology to detect them in-vivo. The detection technology involves the development of effective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) techniques for verifying and measuring NCT agents in-vivo. The synthetic program is directed toward the design of novel boron NCT (BNCT) agents which are targeted to the cell nucleus and gadolinium liposomes targeted to the liver. The UT-DOE program is unique in that it has access to both state-of-the-art whole-body and microscopy MRI instruments