This thesis describes the synthesis and complexation of amino acid based chelants for technetium and rhenium. All of the chelates were of the NxSy type. An initial N2S2 diamido dithiol peptide of the type mercaptoacetic acid-serine-cysteine was synthesized and coordinated with both rhenium and technetium. The complexes were analysed by NMR spectroscopy and found to retain the benzyl moieties. Syn and anti diastereoemers were produced with one conformation preferred over the other. This was not true of another chelant RP294 supplied by Resolution Pharmaceuticals. The N2N1'S1 chelant consisted of dimethyl-glycine-serine-cysteineglycine and was a novel variation of the N2S2 tripeptide used initially. The coordination of this N3S chelant to technetium resulted in the formation of equal 1:1 quantities of diastereomers. Analysis was done by NMR spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry. The two diastereomers were found to slowly interconvert and a mechanism for the interconversion proposed. The radiopharmaceutical RP128 (dimethylglycineserine-cysteine-glycine-threonine-lysine-proline-proline-arginine), of which the RP294 is the chelating portion, was coordinated to technetium. Analysis of the bifunctional chelant and its coordination complex by NMR spectroscopy demonstrated that the targeting portion of the molecule was unaffected by the technetium. Two diastereomers of the TcO(RP128) complex were found, as seen for the chelating portion of the molecule, TcO(RP294). / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

The purpose of this research was to determine if two commonly used soil-washing extracting agents, namely EDTA and nitric acid, could be recycled and reused in subsequent soil-washing processes. This research focuses on the removal of lead from three real-world soils collected from military installations and the evaluation of a chelating polymer termed Type-M Forager® Sponge to recycle the soil-washing effluent. The results of this experiment indicate that the EDTA soil-washing effluent was as effective at removing lead from soil after two recycle processes as it was during the initial simulated soil-washing process. The nitric acid extracting agent solution, however, was neutralized during the first soil-washing simulation for each of the soils tested. Therefore, the Type-M Forager® Sponge was evaluated and proved to be effective as a waste minimization process for the acid soil-washing effluents.

Têm sido estudadas novas modalidades para o diagnóstico e tratamento de câncer de próstata avançado baseado em peptídeos. Receptores para o peptídeo liberador de gastrina (GRPr) são superexpressos em vários tipos de células cancerígenas, incluindo câncer de mama e próstata. A bombesina é um análogo do peptídeo GRP de mamíferos que se liga com alta especificidade e afinidade a GRPr. Várias pesquisas têm sido realizadas para desenvolver e radiomarcar um análogo da bombesina com lutécio-177 com interesse para terapia de tumores pequenos ou metástases, devido às características físicas e viabilidade comercial do radionuclídeo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o processo de marcação e controle de qualidade de derivados da bombesina, usando como agente quelante DTPA e DOTA e espaçador aminoacídico Gly5, e realizar estudos de estabilidade e de biodistribuição de modo a avaliar o potencial de aplicação em estudos clínicos. Os estudos demonstraram que os análogos da bombesina estudados podem ser marcados com 177Lu com alto rendimento de marcação e alta atividade específica. Os estudos de estabilidade in vitro sugerem que os derivados DOTA-conjugados apresentam maior estabilidade que o DTPA-conjugados quando armazenados sob refrigeração e em soro humano. O coeficiente de partição do PG5N-DOTA-177Lu indicou maior lipofilicidade quando comparado com o derivado PG5M-DOTA-177Lu , porém sem influência sobre o clareamento sanguíneo ou captação hepática do composto. Os compostos DOTA-conjugados apresentam menor ligação às proteínas plasmáticas, corroborado pelo rápido clareamento sanguíneo observado nos estudos in vivo. Os estudos de biodistribuição com os compostos PG5M-DOTA-177Lu e PG5N-DOTA-177Lu mostraram o rápido clareamento sanguíneo dos compostos e excreção renal, e baixa captação óssea, indicando estabilidade in vivo dos derivados 177Lu-DOTA. O composto PG5M-DOTA-177Lu apresentou maior captação no pâncreas e intestinos, órgãos com maior porcentagem de receptores para bombesina. Entretanto, a ligação dos compostos às células tumorais (PC-3) in vitro foi similar para ambos os compostos. / New therapy modalities for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer based on peptide analogues are reviewed. It has been shown that gastrin releasing peptide receptors (GRPr) are overexpressed in various types of cancer cells including prostate and breast cancer. Bombesin is an analogue of the mammalian GRP that binds with high specificity and affinity to GRPr. Significant research efforts have been devoted to the design bombesin analogues labeled with 177Lu considering the excellent radiophysical properties and commercial availability of the radionuclide. The aim of this work was to study the labeling and the quality control of a bombesin analogues with Lu-177 using DOTA and DTPA as chelate group and an aminoacidic spacers Gly5 and study the stability and biodistribution properties in order to evaluate the potencial for clinical application. The studies showed that the bombesin analogs were labeled with 177Lu with high radiochemical yield and high specific activity. In vitro stability studies showed that DOTA-conjugated peptides were more stable than DTPA-conjugated, when stored under refrigeration or in human serum. The partition coefficient values showed that 177LuDOTA-PG5N was more lipophilic when compared with 177LuDOTA-PG5M but without influence on blood clearance and liver uptake. The DOTA-conjugated peptides presented low binding to plasma proteins, that contributes for fast blood clearance in vivo. Biodistribution studies of 177LuDOTA-PG5M and 177LuDOTA-PG5N, showed significant renal uptake, as a result of the urinary excretion and low bone uptake, that indicated the in vivo stability of the 177Lu-DOTA-complexes. The compound 177LuDOTA-PG5M showed higher uptake on pancreas and intestinses and these organs presents high density of BBN receptors. But the in vitro binding assays (PC-3 tumors cells) showed similar results for both compounds.

Têm sido estudadas novas modalidades para o diagnóstico e tratamento de câncer de próstata avançado baseado em peptídeos. Receptores para o peptídeo liberador de gastrina (GRPr) são superexpressos em vários tipos de células cancerígenas, incluindo câncer de mama e próstata. A bombesina é um análogo do peptídeo GRP de mamíferos que se liga com alta especificidade e afinidade a GRPr. Várias pesquisas têm sido realizadas para desenvolver e radiomarcar um análogo da bombesina com lutécio-177 com interesse para terapia de tumores pequenos ou metástases, devido às características físicas e viabilidade comercial do radionuclídeo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o processo de marcação e controle de qualidade de derivados da bombesina, usando como agente quelante DTPA e DOTA e espaçador aminoacídico Gly5, e realizar estudos de estabilidade e de biodistribuição de modo a avaliar o potencial de aplicação em estudos clínicos. Os estudos demonstraram que os análogos da bombesina estudados podem ser marcados com 177Lu com alto rendimento de marcação e alta atividade específica. Os estudos de estabilidade in vitro sugerem que os derivados DOTA-conjugados apresentam maior estabilidade que o DTPA-conjugados quando armazenados sob refrigeração e em soro humano. O coeficiente de partição do PG5N-DOTA-177Lu indicou maior lipofilicidade quando comparado com o derivado PG5M-DOTA-177Lu , porém sem influência sobre o clareamento sanguíneo ou captação hepática do composto. Os compostos DOTA-conjugados apresentam menor ligação às proteínas plasmáticas, corroborado pelo rápido clareamento sanguíneo observado nos estudos in vivo. Os estudos de biodistribuição com os compostos PG5M-DOTA-177Lu e PG5N-DOTA-177Lu mostraram o rápido clareamento sanguíneo dos compostos e excreção renal, e baixa captação óssea, indicando estabilidade in vivo dos derivados 177Lu-DOTA. O composto PG5M-DOTA-177Lu apresentou maior captação no pâncreas e intestinos, órgãos com maior porcentagem de receptores para bombesina. Entretanto, a ligação dos compostos às células tumorais (PC-3) in vitro foi similar para ambos os compostos. / New therapy modalities for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer based on peptide analogues are reviewed. It has been shown that gastrin releasing peptide receptors (GRPr) are overexpressed in various types of cancer cells including prostate and breast cancer. Bombesin is an analogue of the mammalian GRP that binds with high specificity and affinity to GRPr. Significant research efforts have been devoted to the design bombesin analogues labeled with 177Lu considering the excellent radiophysical properties and commercial availability of the radionuclide. The aim of this work was to study the labeling and the quality control of a bombesin analogues with Lu-177 using DOTA and DTPA as chelate group and an aminoacidic spacers Gly5 and study the stability and biodistribution properties in order to evaluate the potencial for clinical application. The studies showed that the bombesin analogs were labeled with 177Lu with high radiochemical yield and high specific activity. In vitro stability studies showed that DOTA-conjugated peptides were more stable than DTPA-conjugated, when stored under refrigeration or in human serum. The partition coefficient values showed that 177LuDOTA-PG5N was more lipophilic when compared with 177LuDOTA-PG5M but without influence on blood clearance and liver uptake. The DOTA-conjugated peptides presented low binding to plasma proteins, that contributes for fast blood clearance in vivo. Biodistribution studies of 177LuDOTA-PG5M and 177LuDOTA-PG5N, showed significant renal uptake, as a result of the urinary excretion and low bone uptake, that indicated the in vivo stability of the 177Lu-DOTA-complexes. The compound 177LuDOTA-PG5M showed higher uptake on pancreas and intestinses and these organs presents high density of BBN receptors. But the in vitro binding assays (PC-3 tumors cells) showed similar results for both compounds.