Dose Escalation Biodistribution, Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Imaging and Dosimetry of a Highly Specific Radionuclide-labeled Non-blocking Nanobody

Abstract Backgroud: Immunotherapy is a valuable option for the treatment of cancers, and the curative effect anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy correlates closely with PD-L1 expression levels. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of PD-L1 expression is feasible using 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109 nanobodies. 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109 was generated by radionuclide (68Ga) labeling of Nb109 using a NOTA chelator. To facilitate clinical trials, We explored the optimal dose range of 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109 in BALB/c A375-hPD-L1 tumor-burdened nude mice and C57-hPD-L1 transgenic MC38-hPD-L1 tumor-burdened mice by intravenous of a single intravenous dose of 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109 and confirmed the dose in cynomolgus monkeys. The biodistribution data of cynomolgus monkey PET images were extrapolated to estimate the radiation dose for the adult male using OLINDA2.1 software.Results: 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109 was stable in physiologic media and human serum. Ex vivo biodistribution studies showed rapid and specific uptake in A375-hPDL1 or MC38-hPDL1 tumors. The estimated ED50 was approximately 5.4 µg in humanized mice. The injected mass (0.3–100 µg in nude mice and approximately 1–100 µg in humanized mice) greatly influenced the general biodistribution, with a better tumor-to-background ratio acquired at lower doses of Nb109 (0.3–10 µg in nude mice and approximately 1 µg in humanized mice), indicating maximum uptake in tumors at administered mass doses below the estimated ED50. Therefore, a single 15 μg/kg dose was adopted for the PET/CT imaging in cynomolgus monkey. The highest specific and persistent uptake of the tracer was detected in the spleen, with the exception of the levels in the kidney and urine bladder, which was related to metabolism and excretion. The spleen-to-muscle ratio of the tracer exceeded 10 from immediately to 4 h after administration, indicating that the dose was appropriate. The estimated effective dose was calculated to yield a radiation dose of 4.1 mSv to a patient after injection of 185 MBq of 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109.Conclusion: 68Ga-NOTA-Nb109 showed specific accumulation in hPD-L1 xenografts in ex vivo biodistribution studies and monkey PET/CT imaging. The dose escalation distribution data provided a recommended dose range for further use, and the safety of the tracer was confirmed in dosimetry studies.