Radionuclide spatial distribution and dose deposition for in vitro assessments of $^{212}$Pb-alphaVCAM-1 targeted alpha therapy

Anne-Marie Frelin-Labalme (1) , Thomas Roger (1) , Nadia Falzone (2) , Boon Quan Lee (2) , Nicola R. Sibson (2) , Katherine A. Vallis (2) , Bernaudin Myriam (3) , Valable Samuel (3) , A Corroyer-Dulmont (3)

1 GANIL - Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds
2 University of Oxford
3 ISTCT - Imagerie et Stratégies Thérapeutiques des pathologies Cérébrales et Tumorales

PurposeTargeted alpha therapy (TAT) takes advantage of the short‐range and high linear‐energy‐transfer of α‐particles and is increasingly used, especially for the treatment of metastatic lesions. Nevertheless, dosimetry of α‐emitters is challenging for the very same reasons, even for in vitro experiments. Assumptions, such as the uniformity of the distribution of radionuclides in the culture medium, are commonly made, which could have a profound impact on dose calculations. In this study we measured the spatial distribution of α‐emitting 212Pb coupled to an anti‐VCAM‐1 antibody (212Pb‐αVCAM‐1) and its evolution over time in the context of in vitro irradiations.MethodsTwo experimental setups were implemented without cells to measure α‐particle count rates and energy spectra in culture medium containing 15 kBq of 212Pb‐α‐VCAM‐1. Silicon detectors were placed above and below cell culture dishes for 20 hours. One of the dishes had a 2.5‐µm‐thick mylar‐base allowing easy detection of the α‐particles. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to analyze experimental spectra. Experimental setups were modelled and α‐energy spectra were simulated in the silicon detectors for different decay positions in the culture medium. Simulated spectra were then used to deconvolute experimental spectra to determine the spatial distribution of 212Pb‐αVCAM‐1 in the medium. This distribution was finally used to calculate the dose deposition in cell culture experiments.ResultsExperimental count rates and energy spectra showed differences in measurements taken at the top and the bottom of dishes and temporal variations that did not follow 212Pb decay. The radionuclide spatial distribution was shown to be composed of a uniform distribution and concentration gradients at the top and the bottom, which were subjected to temporal variations that may be explained by gravity and electrostatic attraction. The absorbed dose in cells calculated from this distribution was compared with the dose expected for a uniform and static distribution and found to be 1.75 times higher, which is highly significant to interpret biological observations.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that accurate dosimetry of α‐emitters requires the experimental determination of radionuclide spatial and temporal distribution and highlighted that in vitro assessment of dose for TAT cannot only rely on a uniform distribution of activity in the culture medium. The reliability and reproducibility of future experiments should benefit from specifically developed dosimetry tools and methods.

Keywords: in vitro irradiations; 212Pb; clonogenic assay; α‐emitters; targeted alpha therapy; Oncology; dosimetry

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Physics [physics]; Physics [physics]; Medical Physics [physics.med-ph]

Anne-Marie Frelin-Labalme, Thomas Roger, Nadia Falzone, Boon Quan Lee, Nicola R. Sibson, et al.. Radionuclide spatial distribution and dose deposition for in vitro assessments of $^{212}$Pb-alphaVCAM-1 targeted alpha therapy. Medical Physics, 2020, 47, pp.1317-1326. ⟨10.1002/mp.13969⟩. ⟨hal-02409608⟩