Spatial Distribution of Brain PET Tracers by MALDI Imaging

Isabeau Vermeulen, Michiel Vandenbosch, Delphine Viot, Joel Mercier, Diego Asensio-Wandosell Cabañas, Pilar Martinez-Martinez, Patrick Barton, Ron M A Heeren, Berta Cillero-Pastor*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Evaluating tissue distribution of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracers during their development conventionally involves autoradiography techniques, where radioactive compounds are used for visualization and quantification in tissues during preclinical development stages. Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) offers a potential alternative, providing spatial information without the need for radioactivity with a similar spatial resolution. This study aimed to optimize a MSI sample preparation protocol for assessing PET tracer candidates with a focus on two compounds: UCB-J and UCB2400. We tested different matrices and introduced washing steps to improve PET tracer detection. Tissue homogenates were prepared to construct calibration curves for quantification. The incorporation of a washing step into the MSI sample preparation protocol enhanced the signal of both PET tracers. Our findings highlight MSI's potential as a cost-effective and efficient method for the evaluation of PET tracer distribution. The optimized approach offered here can provide a protocol that enhances the signal and minimizes ion suppression effect, which can be valuable for future evaluation of PET tracers in MSI studies.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 12 Mar 2025

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