Natural Selection-Guided ACE2-Targeted Molecular Imaging: A New Paradigm for PET Tracer Development.

ABSTRACT: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as a biomarker and a promising therapeutic target in several diseases. The noninvasive visualization of in vivo ACE2 mapping is urgent for disease guidance and treatment assessment. A radioimmuno assay method adapting to the RBD peptide library was proposed here to screen a high ACE2-specific peptide sequence as the targeting molecule. Derived from the constructed RBD peptide libraries of the dominant Omicron variants (BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5), the superior peptide was high-throughput screened through the binding rate to the HEK293-hACE2 cell and verified by the molecular docking with ACE2. Further, biodistribution studies were conducted through ¹²⁵I-based SPECT imaging. The DOTA-modified derivant was labeled with Ga-68 to

SUBMITTER: Li R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12848671 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature