An antibody mimic

About

Stanford Reference: 10-212 Abstract Stanford University researchers have developed an 18F-labeled Affibody (an antibody mimic) that specifically targets epidermal growth factor 1 (EGFR) to diagnose and monitor EGFR-positive tumors via PET imaging. This advance enables same day administration and imaging, allowing physicians to prescribe appropriate therapy quickly while delivering minimal radiation to the patient. In addition to diagnostic use, EGFR expression studies can be used to help determine the best course of therapy, monitor EGFR-targeted therapy or for imaging-guided surgery. Applications Cancer diagnostic - for diagnosing EGFR-positive tumors Guide cancer therapy - results may suggest whether EGFR-targeted therapy will be successful for a particular patient Therapy monitoring - monitor the progress of EGFR-targeted therapy Imaging guided surgery - detect the margins of EGFR-positive tumors for surgical excision and recurrence of EGFR-positive tumors Advantages Excellent contrast and uptake of marker - making PET imaging possible Fast - characterization of tumor EGFR expression via PET scan just 3 hours after injection of the tracer, leading to faster treatment Minimum radiation to the patient - PET scans deliver radiation similar to that of a CT scan Enables high sensitivity/high resolution scans - PET scans provide high quality data with easy transition to the clinic Expandable - can include other modes of imaging, such as CT, MRI, optical imaging and ultrasound