PET imaging of zinc transport
A method for producing a solution including a positron emitting zinc cation of 63 Zn, and the method comprises bombarding a solution target including 63 Cu with high energy protons to produce a solution including a positron emitting zinc cation. A method for detecting or ruling out Alzheimer's disease in a patient comprises administering to a patient a detectable amount of a compound including a positron emitting zinc cation, wherein the zinc cation is targeted to β-amyloid in the patient, and acquiring an image to detect the presence or absence of β-amyloid in the patient. A method for detecting or ruling out cancer in a patient comprises administering to a patient a detectable amount of a compound including a positron emitting zinc cation, wherein the zinc cation is targeted to tissue in the patient; and acquiring an image using a medical imaging technique to detect zinc distribution in tissue in the patient.
1. A method for detecting zinc distribution in a patient, the method comprising:
(a) administering to a patient a detectable amount of a pharmaceutically acceptable compound including a zinc cation and a citrate anion, wherein the zinc cation is a 63 Zn positron emitter; and
(b) acquiring an image using a medical imaging technique to detect the distribution of zinc in the patient.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the medical imaging technique is positron emission tomography.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the 63 Zn is associated with a complex that binds a protein having a zinc transporter function.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the zinc cation is targeted to tissue in a region of interest in the patient.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the region of interest is the patient's brain.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the region of interest is the patient's prostate.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the region of interest is the patient's liver.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the region of interest is the patient's pancreas.
9. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
(c) comparing the image to a reference image to determine if the patient has a decreased amount of zinc uptake in the tissue compared to the reference image.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the reference image is a control image of a control region of interest of a control subject.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the reference image is a baseline image from a prior scan of the region of interest of the patient.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the 63 Zn is associated with a complex that binds a protein having a zinc transporter function, and
differences in the image and the reference image indicate decreased uptake of the complex in the tissue.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the 63 Zn is associated with a complex that binds a protein having a zinc transporter function, and
differences in the image and the reference image indicate decreased zinc transporter function in the tissue.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the reference image is a control image of a control subject, and
the control subject has normal cognitive function.