Positron emission tomography (PET) using 89Zr is a clinically relevant imaging modality that enables long-term monitoring of adoptively transferred immune cells. This article describes a two-step radiometal labeling procedure utilizing the bifunctional siderophore p-isothiocyanatobenzyl-desferrioxamine (DFO-Bz-NCS) that chelates 89Zr with high affinity and binds covalently to primary amines of cell-surface proteins via its isothiocyanate moiety. Cells labeled with 89Zr-DFO-Bz-NCS remain viable and retain the radiolabel, enabling repetitive PET imaging of adoptively transferred immune cells with high sensitivity and specificity for up to 2 weeks.
Keywords: 89Zr; Imaging; Immune cells; PET; Positron emission tomography; Zirconium; p-Isothiocyanatobenzyl-desferrioxamine.