Grant: Operating Grant

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme plays an important role in inflammatory processes, and COX-2 expression is also associated with the initiation and progression of cancer. The aim of the project proposal is the development of molecular probes for positron emission tomography (PET) to be used as diagnostic agents for the assessment of functional expression of COX-2 in vivo. Currently, an exact and accurate assessment of COX-2 expression levels and activity in organs or tissues can only be achieved by laborious analyses of invasively acquired tissue samples. Success in the development of a non-invasive molecular imaging method for assaying COX-2 expression in vivo would allow to pinpoint the site of COX-2 expressing tumors. PET imaging of functional COX-2 expression would also allow an evaluation whether COX-2 overexpression is a useful predictive marker of tumor response to the efficacy of combined chemotherapy involving COX-2 inhibitors. Moreover, the new PET imaging probes may also be useful agents for imaging inflammatory lesions in vivo.