Florilglutamic acid F-18

Florilglutamic acid F-18 is a radiopharmaceutical used as a tumor-specific positron emission tomography (PET) tracer. It is a radioactive L-glutamate derivative labeled with the radionuclide fluorine F 18. Upon intravenous administration, it targets and binds to the cystine/glutamate transporter protein (xCT or SLC7A11), which is part of the system xc(-). This transporter mediates cellular uptake of cystine in exchange for intracellular glutamate and is overexpressed in many tumor cells compared to normal tissue. The increased activity of this transporter in tumors allows for selective uptake and imaging by PET, enabling detection and assessment of tumor metabolism, proliferation, progression, chemoresistance, and oxidative stress management. Florilglutamic acid F-18 has been granted orphan designation for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and has been investigated in clinical trials for imaging intracranial cancers and early lung cancer.

Brand names

Floramin

Other names

fluorine f 18 florilglutamic acid