Al18F-NOTA-PEG2-ECL1i

Al18F-NOTA-PEG2-ECL1i is a novel radiopharmaceutical designed as a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracer for imaging C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) expression. It consists of the CCR2-targeting peptide ECL1i (extracellular loop 1-inverse), which is conjugated to a NOTA (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid) chelator via a PEG2 (diethylene glycol) linker and labeled with aluminum fluoride-18 (Al18F). CCR2 is a key receptor expressed on proinflammatory monocytes and macrophages, which play a critical role in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory conditions. By binding specifically to CCR2+ cells, this tracer enables the noninvasive visualization and quantification of cardiac inflammation, such as that occurring after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. The tracer exhibits favorable biodistribution with renal clearance and minimal off-target uptake, supporting its potential use in therapeutic guidance and monitoring of CCR2-targeted treatments.