A study led by the Molecular Imaging and Therapy Group at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Gene Expression and Cancer Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) has developed a technology known as ImmunoPET to support the selection of patients with glioblastoma and to predict and analyse their response to therapies. The study has been published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science.

Glioblastoma is one of the most complex and challenging tumours to treat. It shows high heterogeneity, poor response to available therapies and often requires biopsies to assess its status. These biopsies, besides being invasive and costly, only capture a small portion of the tumour heterogeneity and only 2D information is obtained. For this reason, finding new techniques that work as a virtual biopsy and allow real-time tumour monitoring, providing 3D quantifiable data of the entire tumour without invasive procedures, is a major priority in this field.

Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been identified as a molecule secreted by certain tumours, such as glioblastoma, associated with tumour growth and survival, immune evasion and treatment resistance. In recent years, therapies targeting LIF (anti-LIF) have been developed, but the high heterogeneity of tumours means that these treatments arefrequentlyineffective. Understanding and diagnosing LIF expression in 3D, gathering complete information from the whole tumour, is essential to improve diagnosis and therapeutic response in glioblastoma.

ImmunoPET: a valuable tool for patient diagnosis and monitoring

To detect LIF, the research team developed a radiopharmaceutical based on an antibody capable of specifically recognising this molecule and visualising it through PET imaging techniques, as it is labelled with 89Zr. This technology is known as ImmunoPET. “ImmunoPET acts as a virtual biopsy that enables a complete molecular diagnosis of the tumour, helping us better understand tumour behaviour and adapt treatments in a more personalised way”, says Dr. Raúl Herance, head of the Molecular Imaging and Therapy group at VHIR.

Thanks to the use of this specific radiopharmaceutical, it is possible to assess LIF expression. In this study, conducted in animal models*, the agent was shown to localise and accumulate mainly in tumours that express LIF, demonstrating its specificity and stability.

“This technique will allow us to classify patients based on whether they express LIF, helping select those who may benefit from anti-LIF therapies. In addition, monitoring LIF levels over time will support more accurate tracking of disease evolution and treatment effectiveness. This will help improve the prognosis of people with glioblastoma”, highlights Dr. Joan Seoane, ICREA professor, director of the Immuno-oncology and Tumour Microenvironment Programme and head of the Gene Expression and Cancer group at VHIO.

The preclinical results demonstrate the potential of ImmunoPET as a tool to advance toward more precise and personalised medicine for glioblastoma treatment. In the coming months, work will continue to initiate clinical trials aimed at evaluating the usefulness of this agent in humans and to further progress in its pharmacological development.

*Institutional Statement on the Use of Research Animals