Development of bifunctional chelates bearing hydroxamate arms for highly efficient (64)Cu radiolabeling.

Convenient approaches for the synthesis of DOTHA2 and NOTHA2, two cyclic bifunctional chelates (BFCs) bearing hydroxamate arms, have been developed. These novel BFCs coordinate (64)Cu with fast kinetics at room temperature in a wide range of concentrations and pH. The corresponding radiochemical complexes showed high stability, low residual activity in various tissues, and fast clearance in normal mice. The ability to conjugate DOTHA2 to both a small peptide and a large protein is also reported.