In vivo estimation of oncolytic virus populations within tumors

D. Dingli, M-Y Jung, C. P. Offord, et al. Cancer Research, August 2018

Data from high-resolution imaging suggest that methods that enable the quantitation of in vivo anisotropies are required for continuing development of successful oncolytic virotherapies. 

Fig.1: High-resolution U-SPECT/CT imaging of intratumoral isotope uptake in 5mm tumor. In (i) a control tumor has no isotope activity, whereas two representative tumors (ii and iii) infected with MV expressing NIS concentrate the isotope above background. Click here for the full article.

Fig. 2: In another article of Mayo Clinic (A. Miller & S. J. Russell, Expert Opin. Biol. Ther.16(1):15-32) demonstrate that high-resolution nuclear imaging is required in order to identify intratumoral infected oncolytic viral centers required to optimize oncologic treatment. Click here for the full article.

Summary of  VECTor⁶ advantages for whole-body tumor micro-environment imaging:

• The only system that can image all available radiotracers for NIS-mediated imaging at high resolution: ¹²³I, ¹²⁴I, ¹²⁵I, ¹³¹I, ¹⁸F-tetrafluoroborate, ^99mTc-pertechnetate, and ¹⁸⁸Re.
• With a single acquisition, it is possible to directly compare the spatiotemporal resolution of PET and SPECT tracers such as ¹²⁴I/¹⁸F, ¹²³I/^99mTc, ¹²³I/¹²⁴I, and ^99mTc/¹⁸F. Knowledge of both spatial distribution and kinetics of infection will allow for better understanding of oncolytic virotherapies and help to inform clinical practice and dose determination.
• Simultaneous imaging of PET and SPECT tracers with both spatial and temporal co-registration makes the translation from preclinical to clinical tracers a one-to-one process.
• The system enables radiovirotherapy with ¹³¹I and ¹⁸⁸Re at high sub-mm resolution.