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Project

Biopharmaceutical optimization of PET-diagnostic tools targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP).

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine type protease that is expressed on stromal cells of > 90% of all epithelial cancer types, and also in pathological lesions associated with other diseases characterized by tissue remodeling. It is virtually absent in healthy adult tissues. FAP is being studied both as a therapeutic target and a biomarker/diagnostics target: not only in oncology, but also in, e.g., different fibrosis types and cardiovascular disease. UAntwerp has an approved patent for the only highly potent, selective and orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitors of FAP known to date (US9346814 and EP2804859). One of the compounds in this patent (UAMC1110) receives widespread attention as a potential therapeutic and as the structural basis for diagnostic probes. Also at UAntwerp, research is ongoing that aims at producing UAMC1110 derivatives, with main applications in the diagnostics field. A VLAIO-funded O&O project was recently initiated with HistoGeneX, under which fluorescent and colorigenic UAMC1110 derivatives are used to characterize oncology biopsy samples. The applicants of this project now want to apply their expertise in the domain of FAP ligand design for the discovery of new, FAP-targeting PET probes that can be used in diagnostics.
Date:1 May 2020 →  30 Sep 2021
Keywords:PET DIAGNOSTICS, FIBROBLASTS
Disciplines:Nuclear imaging, Medicinal chemistry