Minimizing the dose limiting salivary gland uptake for the endoradiotherapy of prostate cancer

• Applicants: Dr. Ann-Christin Eder; Professor Dr. Matthias Eder
• Subject Area: Pharmacy ; Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, Radiobiology
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 418133883

The endoradiotherapy of metastatic and hormone-refractory prostate cancer represents a promising therapy strategy. Therefore, radiolabeled PSMA ligands were developed, which specifically accumulate in tumor tissue. Due to the linear energy transfer high doses are achieved in accumulating tissue when using alpha emitters for endoradiotherapy. In addition to the tumor uptake, the rapid excretion of radiopharmaceuticals from background organs is subsequently crucial for a successful therapy.Since the salivary glands strongly accumulate the radiopharmaceutical and are thus dose-limiting, further development of PMSA inhibitors is urgently needed for successful and highly efficient therapy. The project addresses this clinical problem and aims to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of PSMA ligands through targeted chemical modifications. For this purpose, the accumulation of the radiopharmaceutical PSMA-617 in the salivary glands will be minimized by various approaches. This allows a more rapid elimination of the radiopharmaceutical while tumor accumulation remains constantly high, thereby reducing side effects for prostate cancer patients during endoradiotherapy. In addition, a higher dose might be administered, potentially resulting in improved response rates and complete remission.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants