Facile synthesis, pharmacokinetic and systemic clearance evaluation, and positron emission tomography cancer imaging of 64Cu-Au alloy nanoclusters

Gold nanoparticles have been widely used for oncological applications including diagnosis and therapy. However, the non-specific mononuclear phagocyte system accumulation and potential long-term toxicity have significantly limited clinical translation. One strategy to overcome these shortcomings is to reduce the size of gold nanoparticles to allow renal clearance. Herein, we report the preparation of Cu-64 alloyed gold nanoclusters ((CuAuNCs)-Cu-64) for in vivo evaluation of pharmacokinetics, systemic clearance, and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in a mouse prostate cancer model. The facile synthesis in acqueous solution allowed precisely controlled Cu-64 incorporation for high radiolabeling specific activity and stability for sensitive and accurate detection. Through surface pegylation with 350 Da polyethylene glycol (PEG), the (CuAuNCs)-Cu-64-PEG350 afforded optimal biodistribution and significant renal and hepatobiliary excretion. PET imaging showed low non-specific tumor uptake, indicating its potential for active targeting of clinically relevant biomarkers in tumor and metastatic organs.