Noninvasive in vivo deoxycytidine kinase (dCK)-PET identifies tumor-draining lymph nodes upon immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

ABSTRACT: Efficient application of immunotherapy necessitates advanced whole-body imaging techniques to monitor sites of immune cell activation. Deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), a key enzyme in the deoxynucleotide salvage pathway, is upregulated in proliferating immune cells and can be targeted by the radiotracers [¹⁸F]FAC (preclinical) and [¹⁸F]CFA (clinical), allowing for noninvasive monitoring of immune activation in lymphatic organs via positron emission tomography (PET). In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of [¹⁸F]FAC in detecting immune activation upon immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (CIT). In vitro, activated T cells and macrophages exhibited significantly higher [¹⁸F]FAC uptake compared to their naïve counterparts. In vivo, preclinical [<

SUBMITTER: Philippe C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12775488 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature