Zirconium Zr-89 DFO-APAC

Zirconium Zr‑89 DFO‑APAC is a radiopharmaceutical agent composed of the radioisotope zirconium‑89 (a positron emitter) chelated by desferrioxamine (DFO) and conjugated to an antiplatelet anticoagulant (APAC) molecule. It is designed for use as a PET imaging tracer, enabling visualization and quantification of vascular lesions, particularly in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) or critical limb ischemia (CLI). The mechanism involves intravenous administration followed by PET/CT imaging at multiple time points to assess biodistribution, safety, pharmacokinetics, and specific binding to arteries and atherosclerotic or microvascular lesions. The extended half-life of zirconium‑89 (~78 hours) allows for delayed imaging that matches the pharmacokinetics of large biomolecules such as antibodies or protein-based therapeutics[2][3][6][8]. The drug was initially developed by Aplagon Oy.

Other names

zirconium Zr 89 DFO APAC89Zr Zr DFO APAC