TY - JOUR T1 - Imaging Tumor Burden in the Brain with <sup>89</sup>Zr-Transferrin JF - Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO - J Nucl Med SP - 90 LP - 95 DO - 10.2967/jnumed.112.109777 VL - 54 IS - 1 AU - Michael J. Evans AU - Jason P. Holland AU - Samuel L. Rice AU - Michael G. Doran AU - Sarah M. Cheal AU - Carl Campos AU - Sean D. Carlin AU - Ingo K. Mellinghoff AU - Charles L. Sawyers AU - Jason S. Lewis Y1 - 2013/01/01 UR - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/54/1/90.abstract N2 - A noninvasive technology that indiscriminately detects tumor tissue in the brain could substantially enhance the management of primary or metastatic brain tumors. Although the documented molecular heterogeneity of diseases that initiate or eventually deposit in the brain may preclude identifying a single smoking-gun molecular biomarker, many classes of brain tumors are generally avid for transferrin. Therefore, we reasoned that applying a radiolabeled derivative of transferrin (89Zr-labeled transferrin) may be an effective strategy to more thoroughly identify tumor tissue in the brain, regardless of the tumor’s genetic background. Methods: Transferrin was radiolabeled with 89Zr, and its properties with respect to human models of glioblastoma multiforme were studied in vivo. Results: In this report, we show proof of concept that 89Zr-labeled transferrin (89Zr-transferrin) localizes to genetically diverse models of glioblastoma multiforme in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrate that 89Zr-transferrin can detect an orthotopic lesion with exceptional contrast. Finally, the tumor-to-brain contrast conferred by 89Zr-transferrin vastly exceeded that observed with 18F-FDG, currently the most widely used radiotracer to assess tumor burden in the brain. Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that 89Zr-transferrin could be a broadly applicable tool for identifying and monitoring tumors in the brain, with realistic potential for near-term clinical translation. ER -