[18F]Galacto-RGD

[18F]Galacto-RGD is a radiolabeled cyclic RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid) peptide labeled with the positron-emitting radionuclide fluorine-18. It is designed for PET imaging of integrin αvβ3 expression, which is upregulated on angiogenic blood vessels and many malignant tumors. The tracer is a glycosylated peptide, which improves pharmacokinetics and enables imaging with high tumor-to-background contrast. Once injected, [18F]Galacto-RGD binds specifically to the αvβ3 integrin expressed on activated endothelial cells and some tumor cells, allowing visualization and quantification of angiogenic activity and integrin expression in vivo. It is primarily used in oncology for the noninvasive assessment of tumor angiogenesis, detection, diagnosis, and potentially as a biomarker for therapy monitoring. The compound shows high metabolic stability in vivo and is mainly excreted via the kidneys, with good safety and low background signal in non-target tissues. The tracer was developed as an early clinical PET imaging agent to study αvβ3 integrin function and tumor microenvironment[1][4][5][7][10][11][12].

Other names

fluorine F 18 galacto-RGD peptide