Abstract
BACKGROUND: 4-Aminopyridine (4AP) is a medication for the symptomatic treatment of multiple sclerosis. Several 4AP-based PET tracers have been developed for imaging demyelination. In preclinical studies, [(11)C]3MeO4AP has shown promise due to its high brain permeability, high metabolic stability, high plasma availability, and high in vivo binding affinity. To prepare for the translation to human studies, we developed a cGMP-compatible automated radiosynthesis protocol and evaluated the whole-body biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of [(11)C]3MeO4AP in non-human primates (NHPs). METHODS: Automated radiosynthesis was carried out using a GE TRACERlab FX-C Pro synthesis module. One male and one female adult rhesus macaques were used in the study. A high-resolution CT from cranial vertex to knee was acquired. PET data were collected using a dynamic acquisition protocol with four bed positions and 13 passes over a total scan time of ~ 150 min. Based on the CT and PET images, volumes of interest (VOIs) were manually drawn for selected organs. Non-decay corrected time-activity curves (TACs) were extracted for each VOI. Radiation dosimetry and effective dose were calculated from the integrated TACs using OLINDA software. RESULTS: Fully automated radiosynthesis of [(11)C]3MeO4AP was achieved with 7.3 ± 1.2% (n = 4) of non-decay corrected radiochemical yield within 38 min of synthesis and purification time. [(11)C]3MeO4AP distributed quickly throughout the body and into the brain. The organs with highest dose were the kidneys. The average effective dose of [(11)C]3MeO4AP was 4.0 ± 0.6 μSv/MBq. No significant changes in vital signs were observed during the scan. CONCLUSION: A cGMP-compatible automated radiosynthesis of [(11)C]3MeO4AP was developed. The whole-body biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of [(11)C]3MeO4AP was successfully evaluated in NHPs. [(11)C]3MeO4AP shows lower average effective dose than [(18)F]3F4AP and similar average effective dose as other carbon-11 tracers.