gallium (68Ga) tilmanocept

Gallium (68Ga) tilmanocept is a radiopharmaceutical diagnostic imaging agent consisting of tilmanocept—a synthetic mannosylated dextran polymer—labeled with the positron-emitting radioisotope gallium-68. The tilmanocept moiety is specifically designed to target and bind with high affinity to the CD206 (mannose) receptor, which is constitutively expressed on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells within lymphatic tissue. This targeted binding allows for the precise localization and visualization of sentinel lymph nodes using Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT). Developed in collaboration between Navidea Biopharmaceuticals and the Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht (UMC Utrecht), this agent is primarily being investigated for sentinel node mapping in patients with parotid gland carcinoma and other head and neck cancers. The use of gallium-68 provides superior spatial resolution and quantification compared to traditional technetium-99m-based imaging, potentially improving surgical planning and nodal staging in oncology.

Other names

gallium-68 tilmanoceptgallium68 tilmanoceptgallium 68 tilmanocept68Ga-DTPA-tilmanoceptgallium (68Ga) chloride + tilmanocept