Scientific article
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English

Quantitative Imaging of Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Their Response to Therapy Using 64Cu-Labeled Macrin

Published inACS nano, vol. 12, no. 12, p. 12015-12029
Publication date2018-12-26
First online date2018-12-11
Abstract

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are widely implicated in cancer progression, and TAM levels can influence drug responses, particularly to immunotherapy and nanomedicines. However, it has been difficult to quantify total TAM numbers and their dynamic spatiotemporal distribution in a non-invasive and translationally relevant manner. Here, we address this need by developing a pharmacokinetically optimized, 64 Cu-labeled polyglucose nanoparticle (Macrin) for quantitative positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of macrophages in tumors. By combining PET with high-resolution in vivo confocal microscopy and ex vivo imaging of optically cleared tissue, we found that Macrin was taken up by macrophages with >90% selectivity. Uptake correlated with the content of macrophages in both healthy tissue and tumors ( R2 > 0.9) and showed striking heterogeneity in the TAM content of an orthotopic and immunocompetent mouse model of lung carcinoma. In a proof-of-principle application, we imaged Macrin to monitor the macrophage response to neo-adjuvant therapy, using a panel of chemotherapeutic and γ-irradiation regimens. Multiple treatments elicited 180-650% increase in TAMs. Imaging identified especially TAM-rich tumors thought to exhibit enhanced permeability and retention of nanotherapeutics. Indeed, these TAM-rich tumors accumulated >700% higher amounts of a model poly(d,l-lactic- co-glycolic acid)- b-polyethylene glycol (PLGA-PEG) therapeutic nanoparticle compared to TAM-deficient tumors, suggesting that imaging may guide patient selection into nanomedicine trials. In an orthotopic breast cancer model, chemoradiation enhanced TAM and Macrin accumulation in tumors, which corresponded to the improved delivery and efficacy of two model nanotherapies, PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin and a TAM-targeted nanoformulation of the toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist resiquimod (R848). Thus, Macrin imaging offers a selective and translational means to quantify TAMs and inform therapeutic decisions.

Keywords
  • EPR effect
  • Immunogenic chemotherapy
  • Myeloid infiltration
  • Personalized medicine
  • Prognostic biomarker
  • Tumor microenvironment
Affiliation entities Not a UNIGE publication
Funding
  • National Cancer Institute [R00 CA207744]
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [R01 HL131495]
  • NCI NIH HHS [K99 CA207744]
Citation (ISO format)
KIM, Hye-Yeong et al. Quantitative Imaging of Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Their Response to Therapy Using 64Cu-Labeled Macrin. In: ACS nano, 2018, vol. 12, n° 12, p. 12015–12029. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b04338
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Article (Published version)
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Article (Accepted version)
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.8b04338
Journal ISSN1936-0851
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