[123I]I-DARPIN-Ec1

[123I]I-DARPIN-Ec1 is a radiopharmaceutical diagnostic agent consisting of the designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) Ec1, which is engineered to bind with high affinity and specificity to the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). EpCAM is overexpressed in various epithelial cancers, including lung and ovarian cancer. The Ec1 scaffold enables targeted molecular imaging by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) when labeled with iodine-123 ([123I]). The primary mechanism involves selective binding to EpCAM-expressing tumor cells, allowing for visualization of tumors and detection of EpCAM expression.