Targeting Copper in Cancer Imaging and Therapy: A New Theragnostic Agent

Copper is required for cancer cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis. Copper-64 radionuclide (64Cu), a form of copper chloride (64CuCl2), is rapidly emerging as a diagnostic PET/CT tracer in oncology. It may also represent an interesting alternative to gallium-68 (68Ga) as a radionuclide precursor for labelling radiopharmaceuticals used to investigate neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. This emerging interest is also related to the nuclear properties of 64CuCl2 that make it an ideal theragnostic nuclide. Indeed, 64CuCl2 emits β+ and β- particles together with high-linear-energy-transfer Auger electrons, suggesting the therapeutic potential of 64CuCl2 for the radionuclide cancer therapy of copper-avid tumors. Recently, 64CuCl2 was successfully used to image prostate cancer, bladder cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and non-small cell lung carcinoma in humans. Copper cancer uptake was related to the expression of human copper transport 1 (hCTR1) on the cancer cell surface. Biodistribution, toxicology and radiation safety studies showed its radiation and toxicology safety. Based on the findings from the preclinical research studies, 64CuCl2 PET/CT also holds potential for the diagnostic imaging of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), malignant melanoma, and the detection of the intracranial metastasis of copper-avid tumors based on the low physiological background of radioactive copper uptake in the brain.