{"id":27028,"date":"2025-07-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianglycomics.ca\/?p=27028"},"modified":"2025-07-08T11:22:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T17:22:28","slug":"new-radiotracer-could-make-breast-cancer-detection-quicker-more-accurate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianglycomics.ca\/fr\/new-radiotracer-could-make-breast-cancer-detection-quicker-more-accurate\/","title":{"rendered":"New radiotracer could make breast cancer detection quicker, more accurate"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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New radiotracer could make breast cancer detection quicker, more accurate<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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GlycoNet researchers at the University of Alberta are set to test new PET scan molecule in European clinical trials.<\/p>

By Gillian Rutherford\u00a0 \u2022\u00a0 Posted: 3 July,\u00a0 2025<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Dr. Fred West and Dr. Frank Wuest<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A new radiotracer developed by GlycoNet researchers at the University of Alberta and soon to be tested in human clinical trials in Europe could make medical imaging of breast cancer tumours quicker and more accurate, and could one day lead to better treatments.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cOur work so far shows that it is far better for early detection and for detecting metastasis, so it could be a superior way to diagnose and stage breast cancer,\u201d says\u00a0Frederick West<\/a>, professor of chemistry and\u00a0Allard Research Chair in Oncology<\/a>, with appointments in the\u00a0Faculty of Science<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s going to make it much less inconvenient for patients to get these images, and we\u2019re going to get higher-quality images in the process, so from a patient outcome standpoint, the benefit is clear,\u201d says West.\u00a0<\/p>

West first\u00a0began working on the new radiotracer in 2009<\/a>, and was then joined in the work by\u00a0Frank Wuest<\/a>, professor and department chair of oncology and\u00a0Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Radiopharmaceutical Sciences<\/a>, who did a\u00a0comprehensive study of the radiotracer\u2019s behaviour with breast cancer models in mice in 2011<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

The current standard molecule for cancer imaging using positron emission tomography is based on glucose. That\u2019s because cancer tumours grow so rapidly that they have a huge need for fuel, and as a result they have an unusual number of glucose transporter proteins to bring glucose into their cells. A radioactive isotope is added to the glucose-based tracer and when it is injected into the body, it is taken up more rapidly by the cancer cells than healthy cells. The tracer\u2019s positrons interact with the body\u2019s electrons, producing gamma rays that can then be detected by the PET scan.\u00a0<\/p>

The newly developed radiotracer, known as [18F]6-fluoro-6-deoxyfructose, mimics the structure of the natural sugar fructose instead, replacing a hydroxyl group with a radioactive fluorine isotope. It takes advantage of an unusual feature of breast cancer: A significant number of breast cancer cells take up fructose, thanks to a fructose transporter protein called GLUT5 that doesn\u2019t occur in normal breast tissue cells.<\/p>

\u201cThe fructose transporter is actually very special because it\u2019s not found in very many of our cells,\u201d explains West.\u00a0<\/p>

When the fructose-based radiotracer is injected into the body, it is taken up by the GLUT5 in the cancer cells. The resulting gamma rays are then produced only in the cancer-affected locations, providing a very clear image.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s the perfect scenario,\u201d says West. \u201cYou want your image to light up like a bright light bulb and you want everything else in the background to be black. The problem with the glucose radiotracer is that every cell in our body uses glucose, so there\u2019s always going to be a background of gamma rays throughout the body because every cell is taking up the tracer molecule.\u201d<\/p>

Another advantage of the fructose-based radiotracer is the time it takes to get an image. The glucose-based tracer takes up to two hours to accumulate in the tumour enough to be detected. In contrast, the fructose-based tracer lights up the tumour within 15 minutes, then is rapidly cleared from the body.<\/p>

West and Wuest have so far tested their new radiotracer using animal models, but it will soon be tested in European patients.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cOur collaborators in Germany are motivated to test our compound in a small number of patients this year,\u201d says West. \u201cIf the results of these preliminary studies show promise, we would be able to fast-track clinical evaluation at the University of Alberta.\u201d<\/p>

The next step, says West, is to\u00a0consider whether the fructose transporter protein can be used in treatment as well as imaging<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cIf we can selectively transport fructose into cancer cells and not into normal cells, the question we ask ourselves is, can we hijack that fructose transporter machinery to actually deliver cancer drugs?\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s our dream, to go beyond imaging to therapy.\u201d<\/p>

West and Wuest\u2019s research has been funded by the\u00a0Alberta Cancer Foundation<\/a>, the\u00a0Allard Foundation<\/a>, the\u00a0Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation<\/a>, the\u00a0Canadian Glycomics Network<\/a>\u00a0(GlycoNet), the\u00a0Alberta Spine Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Canadian Cancer Society<\/a>. Both researchers are members of the\u00a0Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta<\/a>, GlycoNet and the\u00a0Women and Children\u2019s Health Research Institute<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>

Reposted from\u00a0<\/em>Folio<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Discover more from GlycoNet News.<\/a><\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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GlycoNet researchers set to test new PET scan molecule in European clinical trials.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[203],"tags":[127,238,355,356,15,7,358,359,357,101],"class_list":["post-27028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-highlight","tag-breast-cancer","tag-cancer","tag-frank-wuest","tag-frederick-west","tag-glycomics","tag-glyconet","tag-medical-imaging","tag-pet-scan","tag-radiotracer","tag-university-of-alberta","wpbf-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t