FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients and/or diluents, having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally equal to, lower or higher than 925 MBq/mL at calibration time. Such radiopharmaceutical composition is useful in a method for treating a subject affected by a neoplasm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Copper, essential trace element with many physiological functions, plays an important role in tumor angiogenesis and can stimulate endothelial cell proliferation (Hu, 1998). Copper metabolism, that is tightly regulated through sophisticated homeostatic mechanism in physiological conditions, is profoundly altered in neoplastic disease together with its cellular deposition — from cytoplasm in normal tissue to intranuclear and perinuclear zones in tumors (Fuchs et al., 1989). In the past twenty years, many preclinical studies have demonstrated an effect of copper on cancer development; in particular, a copper’s alteration has been observed in tumor bearing in mice and rats. Furthermore, a highly significant increase in both serum copper level and ceruloplasmin level was observed in patients with various types of tumors compared to healthy subjects (Fisher and Shifrine, 1978, Scanni et al., 1979). In particular, several authors reported an increased copper content in serum of patients affected by different tumor types such as lung cancer (Bai et al., 2019), cervical cancer (Zhang et al., 2018) and prostate cancer (Saleh et al., 2019). In addition, in glioma patients both serum copper and ceruloplasmin values showed a significantly higher concentration compared to healthy subjects or subjects affected by non-tumorous neurological diseases (Manjula et al., 1992).

Currently, the importance of copper in carcinogenesis and metastasis formation and in resistance to treatment has been explored. In addition, research work on copper deregulation in oncology and the recent understanding of copper metabolism have led to the development of numerous therapeutic strategies targeting this trace element. Despite numerous research studies and the improvement of knowledge on copper metabolism over the years, some shadow areas persist (Lelievre et al., 2020).

The deregulated levels of copper in tumor patients can be observed thanks to the radioactive isotope Copper-64 ( ⁶⁴ Cu). This is one of the copper isotopes that is showing its potential in the nuclear medicine field for the PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging, which can be or PET/CT (Computed Tomography) or PET/MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Once injected to the patient, this isotope follows the abnormal distribution of copper in the human body that can be visualized by PET. Copper-64 is the only copper isotope that possesses three decay modalities and it has a half-life (12.7 h) that allows to obtain efficient clinical imaging at delayed scan times, exploiting better target-to-background signal; furthermore, it allows for the convenient distribution of the radiopharmaceuticals after its synthesis at centralized production sites, and for easier management of scheduled activities at the clinical nuclear medicine facilities.

⁶⁴ Cu can undergo 0+ emission to nickel-64, - emission to zinc-64. Both daughter nuclides are stable. In addition to beta minus, 64Cu decays also by Auger electron emission, these electrons have an average energy of 2 keV , 126 nm range in tissue (Howell, 1992) and are considered high- LET (Linear Energy Transfer) radiation. The capability to reach the cell nuclei and to emit Auger electrons in proximity of the DNA leads to tumor cell death and this mechanism may enhance cancer therapy.

The beta plus emission gives it the capability to be a diagnostic agent, indeed different literature evidences showed the capability of 64Cu in the form of Copper Chloride ( ⁶⁴ CuC12) to be a good diagnostic imaging agent in different cancer types, such as breast, prostate or melanoma, both in preclinical studies (Peng et al., 2006; Cai et al., 2014, Qin et al., 2014), but also in clinical settings. In patients affected by prostate cancer, ⁶⁴ CuC12 PET/CT seems to show superior characteristics comparing to the clinical standard ¹⁸ F-FCH (Capasso et al., 2015; Piccardo et al., 2017) and also in glioblastoma patients ⁶⁴ CuC12 showed the potential to become a diagnostic agent (Panichelli et al., 2016). Instead, as mentioned above, the potential promising therapeutic use is given by the auger electron emission, but still less evidences are present in literature.

During the last few years, in the field of nuclear medicine unprecedented advances have been shown: one of the main driving forces is the so-called “theragnostic” concept that combines the use of a diagnostic biomarker with a therapeutic option. Recent developments have significantly broadened the scope of radionuclide imaging and therapies that now extends to neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer, or hematologic malignancies (Lapa et al., 2019).

The crucial point for the application of a theragnostic agent is the dose that, systemically administered, should reach the target tissue in sufficient quantities. Ideally, theragnostic compounds involve chemically and biologically identical compounds. Actually, the market offers the so called “theragnostic pairs” that are combinations of a diagnostic agent and a therapeutic one (Table 1). Most of them are not chemically or biologically identical, but they are similar in biodistribution and the first injection of the diagnostic agent would predict the biodistribution of the therapeutic counterpart. The diagnostic radiometals ^m In and ⁶⁸ Ga and their therapeutic counterparts ⁹⁰ Y and ¹⁷⁷ Lu, are all trivalent metals, which can be attached to a targeting moiety with the same chelator, but there are differences in their chemical structure, which can affect their biological properties and biodistribution (Ballinger et al., 2018).

Table l.Theragnostics agents/pairs in current clinical use (Ballinger et al., 2018)

However, still the dosage regimen and its use in a theragnostic approach is still not clear to the experts in the field and can’t be simply deduced due to the poor clinical data available for this treatment. In Table 2 different studies are reported, which showed the potential therapeutic use of ⁶⁴ CUC12 in different cancers such as prostate cancer, glioblastoma, melanoma, but none of them anticipates the proper theragnostic dosage regimen and approach.

Table 2. Summary of the studies on ⁶⁴ CuCh, with particular attention to their main topic, subject of study, used radiotracer and main results

All these studies refers to a preclinical (in animals or in-vitro) application of ⁶⁴ CuC12 and none of these report clinical data. Furthermore, literature data are vague and not clear on the theragnostic approach to be used with Cu-64, its best formulation, its best radioconcentration, its dose regimen, dosing intervals that can bring to a safe and effective use.

In the study of Ferrari et al. groups of tumor implanted nude mice were treated with ⁶⁴ CuC12 to simulate single and multiple dose therapy protocols (333 MBq and 55.5 MBq/day x 6 days respectively), and results were analysed to estimate therapeutic efficacy. Experiments were performed in animals bearing 3 weeks old tumors. In this study three groups of mice were compared: 30 no-treated animals, 30 animals treated with a single administration of 333 MBq of ⁶⁴ CUC12, and 30 animals treated with a multiple-dose regimen of 55.5 MBq x 6 days of ⁶⁴ CuC12, one injection each day.

Moreover, the study of Qin et al., showed the therapeutic capability of copper chloride in melanoma tumor. Specifically, as soon as the tumor diameter size reached 0.5-0.8 cm, tumor-bearing mice were administered with one dose of ⁶⁴ CuC12 (about 74 MBq) and tumor sizes were monitored over the treatment period. Results showed that the tumor growth in both the Bl 6F 10 and the A375M models under ⁶⁴ CuC12 treatment were much slower than that of the control group. The therapeutic group showed significantly improved survival, compared with that of the control group.

Taking into account this preclinical data is not possible to correlate these doses to humans.

EP3071241B1 discloses a formulation and an average dose, however only generic indications are provided, moreover there are no evidences of safety and efficacy of that dose, furthermore there is no explanation of the theragnostic approach and method to use it as a theragnostic tracer.

A theragnostic approach with ⁶⁴ CuC12 has not yet been elucidated. Despite many therapeutic advances, a number of common cancers, such as cancer of the breast, prostate, brain are still a frequent cause of death and new treatment approaches are needed. Furthermore, actually common treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy are showing the development of resistance to treatment. Therefore, for cancer patients the necessity to develop new effective treatments is essential.

Furthermore, commercially available theragnostic pairs use different molecules for the diagnosis and therapy with the risk to do not have the exact biodistribution of the tracer, for the prediction of the therapeutic one, furthermore with the lack of monitoring the response to treatment with the same therapeutic dose.

In view of the drawbacks of the prior art, it would be highly advantageous to provide an efficacious theragnostic approach for the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to patients affected by tumors in both adults and pediatric population.

The issue of a safe and effective delivery of therapeutic doses of ⁶⁴ CuC12 is solved by the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based on the discovery that, differently from what has been reported until now, Copper-64 in the form of salt (e.g. ⁶⁴ CuC12) can be used as a real theragnostic agent, not only as a component of a theragnostic pair. In other words, the same chemical entity (copper) and the same isotope (64) can be used both for patient selection and for therapeutic use. The exactly same product gives the dual action and the first injection can predict exactly the biodistribution of the following injections. The first step consists of using the composition to evaluate the eligibility of a subject affected by a neoplasm for a specific therapy or treatment and it is also herein referred to as the “selection step”, meaning that this step allows to select a subject that can undergo a following specific therapy or treatment. If the subject results to be eligible for the treatment and is selected for the treatment, then the subject is treated by administering a therapeutically efficient amount of a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients and/or diluents, having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time. In particular, the present invention relates to a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients, and/or diluents, having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally equal to, lower or higher than 925 MBq/mL at calibration time. Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients, and/or diluents, having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally equal to, lower or higher than 925 MBq/mL at calibration time for use as a medicament.

A further object of the present invention is a method of treatment of a neoplasm comprising the administration of a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper- 64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients and/or diluents in a saline solution, having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally equal to, lower or higher than 925 MBq/mL at calibration time.

Still another object of the present invention is a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ) having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally equal to, lower or higher than 925 MBq/mL at calibration time, for use in the preparation of a medicament.

To evaluate the preferred composition to be used in a clinical trial with a theragnostic approach, different in vitro tests have been conducted both from a pharmaceutical and biological point of view.

The inventor showed the capability of ⁶⁴ CuC12to cause a cell-killing effect on tumor cell in different tumor lines. The capability resulted improved at a radioconcentration higher than 925 MBq/mL compared to lower concentrations. This is the first time that the impact of the drug radioconcentration has been correlated to the cell-killing effect for the translation to humans.

The inventor performed internalization and survival studies on different cancer cell lines (U87MG [glioblastoma], PC-3[prostate cancer], CAMA1 [breast cancer], C8161 [melanoma], HT- 29[colorectal cancer]), A549 [lung cancer] applying the same amount (dose) of radioactivity (eg. 10 MBq), but at different radioconcentrations, e.g. 2,775 MBq/mL vs. 1,850 MBq/mL, vs. 925 MBq/mL.

The results showed that in all the cell lines there was a direct impact of radioconcentration on cell uptake 4h after treatment: significantly greater with the higher concentrations compared to the lowest concentration (Figure 1). The increased uptake with the concentration of 2,775 MBq/mL has brought also to an increased cell-killing effect at 24h after treatment as shown, as an example, in the cell survival curve of U87MG line (Figure 2). This effect of the radioconcentration could have a great impact on patients for the optimization of treatment. In fact, in consideration of the mechanism through which ⁶⁴ Cu reaches the tumor cell, the different radioconcentrations, that is to say "the number of nuclear disintegrations per unit time in a given amount of the preparation", can influence the biodistribution in vivo. Without wishing to be bonded by any theory, indeed, the higher number of nuclear disintegrations of the isotope can reduce the link stability of the cation with the circulating proteins responsible to transport copper to the target organs. The lower stability linkage with carrier proteins brings to a greater availability of the isotope for the tumor cell and this is connected to a higher genotoxic effect.

In general, for radiopharmaceuticals the radioactive concentration influences the radiochemical purity and the decrease in radioactive concentration increase the radiochemical purity. Therefore, it would not be obvious for a skilled person that increasing the radioconcentration of ⁶⁴ Cu radiopharmaceuticals can bring to a benefit for the biological effect: theoretically the increasing of radioconcentration generally brings to a higher content of impurities including “non-radioactive” copper. However, contrary to what one may expect, in this invention formulations with the higher radioconcentrations are characterized by a high level of purity: a low content of the “nonradioactive” copper and a high content of “radioactive” copper-64 ions, that are able to release an higher content of Auger electron in the tumor cell. In comparison to the other formulation (925 MBq/mL) this gives an improved therapeutic effect.

In consideration of our in-vitro tests, ⁶⁴ CuC122,775 MBq/mL at calibration time was chosen as the preferred radioconcentration to be injected to patients, as the most suitable for a theragnostic approach, showing advantages from both an efficacy point of view and taking into account a practical aspect. Indeed, this high radioconcentration solves the problem to have a big amount of radioactivity necessary for the treatment in a reduced volume, considering that low radioconcentration values corresponds to high volumes, whereas high radioconcentration values are associated to smaller values. The reduction of the volume represents an advantage from a radioprotection side, in fact let the nurse to inject directly to the patient, reducing the time of exposure compared to administering per continuous infusion, and increasing the patient’s compliance. However, further clinical evidences (also reported in the Examples’ section) have shown that even lower radioconcentrations (equal to or lower than 925 MBq/mL) are effective in the treatment of a neoplasm, if the administration route is intravenous by infusion and the volume of the radiopharmaceutical composition to be administered is regulated, on the basis of the dose to be administered to the subject.

PET/CT imaging evaluations obtained with lower or higher concentrations of ⁶⁴ CuC12, showed the uptake in the neoplastic cell, this let the inventor to understand that, the ⁶⁴ CuCh is able to enter neoplastic cell, and consequently it can induce a therapeutic effect, independently of the route of administration.

Considering that in the subject affected by a neoplasm there is a different homeostasis of copper and a deregulation of copper transporters, ⁶⁴ Cu follows this abnormal metabolic pathway, reaching the neoplastic lesion, independently from the route through which ⁶⁴ Cu is introduced in the human body.

The radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention may be administered to the subject by any routes of administration, including enteral, parenteral, inhalation, oral and transcutaneous. Preferably the route of administration is parenteral, including intravenous, intramuscular, intradermal, subcutaneous, intratumoral, intracavity and intrathecal. More preferably, the route of administration is intravenous by injection, by infusion or by an implant.

According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the administration route of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is by injection.

According to another specific embodiment of the invention, the administration route of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is by infusion.

According to a further specific embodiment of the invention, the administration route of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is intratumoral.

According to another specific embodiment of the invention, the administration route of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is intracavity.

According to a further specific embodiment of the invention, the administration route of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is intrathecal.

The radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention may be administered to the subject also with any medical device. According to specific embodiments of the invention, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is comprised between 930 MBq/mL and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by injection. According to specific embodiments of the invention, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is comprised between 1,000 MBq/mL and 2,800 MBq/mL at calibration time, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by injection. According to specific embodiments of the invention, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is 1,850 MBq/mL preferably when the administration route is intravenous by injection.

According to specific embodiments of the invention, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is 2,775 MBq/mL at calibration time, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by injection.

According to an embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition is a solution for injection that can be diluted with NaCl 0.9% before injection.

According to other specific embodiments of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by infusion, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is comprised between 50 MBq/mL and 925 MBq/mL at calibration time.

According to other specific embodiments of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by infusion, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is comprised between 80 MBq/mL and 750 MBq/mL at calibration time.

According to further specific embodiments of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by infusion, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is comprised between 100 MBq/mL and 600 MBq/mL at calibration time.

According to further specific embodiments of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by infusion, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is comprised between 200 MBq/mL and 450 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally it is 277 MBq/mL at calibration time, optionally it is 350 MBq/mL at calibration time.

According to a further specific embodiment of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by infusion, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is equal to 925 MBq/mL at calibration time. According to a further specific embodiment of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by injection, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is equal to 1,850 MBq/mL at calibration time.

According to a further specific embodiment of the invention, preferably when the administration route is intravenous by injection, the radioconcentration of the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention is equal to 2,775 MBq/mL at calibration time.

Counter-ions may be present in the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention, such as for example chloride, acetate, citrate ions etc., to prepare a solution at a pH suitable for injection.

For example, the formulation can be composed by 5% of ⁶⁴ CuC12, 2% acetate buffer solution, 10- 93% 0,9% NaCl solution or for example the formulation can be composed by 8% of ⁶⁴ Cu(OAc)2, 4% of acetate buffer solution, 12-88% of water for injection (WFI), 1% antioxidant (e.g. ascorbic acid).

According to another embodiment of the invention, the specific activity of this radiopharmaceutical composition is comprised between 5- 10 ² and 5- 10 ⁴ MBq of ⁶⁴ Cu/micrograms of copper.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the specific activity of this radiopharmaceutical composition is comprised between 1,000 and 10,000 MBq of ⁶⁴ Cu/micrograms of copper, optionally it is 5,000 MBq of ⁶⁴ Cu/micrograms of copper.

The radiopharmaceutical composition is preferably a sterile solution that can be used as a ready- to-use solution for intravenous use.

The radiopharmaceutical composition preferably has a pH suitable for direct injection and comprised between 4-8.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention, as previously described, for use in the treatment of neoplasms.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a treatment of a neoplasm may have a theragnostic approach, thus comprising a first step to evaluate the eligibility of a subject for the treatment, a further step to treat the selected subject and, optionally, a further step to monitor the response of the subject to the treatment.

In other words, such theragnostic approach is a method for treating a neoplasm in a human subject, which comprises the following steps: a) administering an effective amount of a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients, and/or diluents to evaluate the eligibility of said subject for a subsequent treatment; b) acquiring an image by PET/MRI or PET/CT of said subject, to evidence any copper-64 uptake by neoplastic cells of the cancer lesions; c) in case of evidence of copper-64 uptake by neoplastic cells, subjecting the subject to a treatment cycle by administering for therapeutic purpose to said subject a therapeutically effective amount of a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients, and/or diluents.

The purpose of steps (a) and (b) in the above method is to select a subject for the treatment by evaluating ⁶⁴ CuC12 uptake in the lesions, as determined by PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging in said subject. In case the imaging evaluation shows copper-64 uptake, the subject can be included in the treatment, otherwise, in case there is no uptake, the treatment is not advisable. In case there is copper uptake from the tumor lesion, this can also have a predictive value of response to treatment. According to step a), the patient firstly receives one administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12, a single dose between 3 MBq/kg and 14 MBq/kg, preferably between 5.3 MBq/kg and 13 MBq/kg. As an example, a patient of 70 kg can receive a dose of 371 MBq of ⁶⁴ CuC12, typically by intravenous injection. For a child of 25 kg the diagnostic dose is 132,5 MBq, preferably the dose should be in the range 130-200 MBq.

According to step b) to acquire images of patient’s body a PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging is performed, preferably from Ih to 4h after ⁶⁴ CuC12 injection and the PET imaging is evaluated to evidence the uptake of ⁶⁴ CuC12 in the cancer lesion of the patient. The PET imaging analysis after the dose would consider a lesion as positive determining the target to background ratio (TBR).

According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the TBR value of a lesion of a human subject affected by a neoplasm is measured to evidence the uptake of Copper-64 in the lesion of the subject. TBR is a value that is obtained by an objective evaluation performed by method that includes an output from a computer that does not require the interpretation from a medical doctor. In particular, TBR is the ratio between the maximum SUV (SUVmax) of each region of interest and the maximum SUV (Standardized Uptake Value) of the level of some normal tissues to be considered "background tissue” (BKG). The measurement of the SUVmax of each collection site corresponding to the lesion must be carried out by positioning a VOI (Volume Of Interest), which fully includes the collection site.

TBR will be calculated as follow:

• For lymph node lesions: SUVmax (Lesion)/SUV _ma x (mediastinal)

• For bone lesions: SUVmax (Lesion)/ SUVmax (muscle)

• For visceral lesions: SUVmax (Lesion)/ SUVmax (contralateral organ or mediastinal)

The arithmetic average of the SUVmax values measured on the VOI drawn on the gluteal muscles of each side will be calculated and it will be referred to as the muscle background uptake value. For the other tissues, the maximum SUV value measured for the single VOI selected will be used. A lesion is determined as positive for ⁶⁴ CuC12 uptake (i.e. evidencing an uptake of ⁶⁴ CuC12), if TBR results equal to or higher than 5. A lesion is determined as negative for ⁶⁴ CuC12 uptake if the TBR is lower than 5.

According to an embodiment the invention, the TBR is used as the objective parameter for patient selection.

If patient has at least one lesion for which TBR is equal to or higher than 5, the patient can be selected for treatment. If patient has no lesions for which TBR is equal to or higher than 5, the patient cannot be selected for treatment.

Moreover, the TBR analyzed in the PET/CT or PET/MRI after the first administration of the composition, is also used as an objective parameter to predict treatment response.

The results reported in the Examples section show that the TBR of the non-responder patient was higher compared to the responder ones. In particular, on the basis of the clinical data, TBR value > 25 resulted in non-responder patients and TBR comprised between 5 and 25 resulted in patients classified as responders.

Therefore TBR, in addition to represent an index of tumor uptake in patients, can be a predictive index of ⁶⁴ CuC12 treatment response. The PET/CT or PET/MRI results very useful to select the proper patient that can undergo ⁶⁴ CuC12 treatment, thus avoiding to expose the patient to the risk to undergo an unsuccessful treatment.

The evaluation can be an empirical evaluation of copper-64 uptake. The PET/CT or PET/MRI output can show an output which does not require the interpretation of a medical doctor. Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the step of evaluating copper-64 uptake as a computer output which is at a certain predetermined threshold. Copper-64 uptake and TBR evaluated this way can be used as eligibility criteria for treatment.

The objective of this method is to select the patient, which can be a good responder patient to the ⁶⁴ CUC12 treatment.

A “good responder” patient is a patient selected among a population, which shows a better response to the treatment in comparison to the patient that has not been selected with the above mentioned method (random selection) and/or a patient which shows lower side effects/adverse events to the treatment in comparison to the patient that has not been selected with the above mentioned method (random selection).

This selection is allowed thanks to the PET/CT and/or PET/MRI, indeed a different imaging modality (i.e. MRI, CT, bone scan or PET/CT with other radioactive compounds different from the radioisotope 64Cu) cannot select the patient for treatment considering that cannot show if the drug can be internalize by the tumor cells of that specific patient, and consequently cannot predict if that patient can benefit from the treatment. The selection step is necessary to avoid the risk for patient to start an unsuccessful and toxic treatment.

If the patient results to be eligible for the treatment and is selected for the treatment, the method then further comprises a step of treating cancer in said patient selected for a treatment by administering a therapeutically efficient amount of ⁶⁴ CuC12. The treatment can start the same day of the administration for selection or from 1 day to 4 weeks after the administration for selection. The present inventors have shown that copper-64 in certain concentrations and amounts can be used in a method for treating neoplasms which can internalize copper-64. The neoplasms are therefore specific neoplasms that a more sensitive to copper-64 treatment. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of copper-64 for the treatment of a neoplasm which can internalize copper-64. A further embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of copper- 64 for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of a neoplasm which can internalize copper-64.

According to a specific embodiment of the invention, step a) previously mentioned may optionally be preceded by the following steps: i) collecting a blood sample from the human subject; ii) detecting the content of chemical copper in such sample; wherein step (c) is effected only if serum copper level detected in the sample is over normal ranges. The purpose of step (ii) is to measure the content of copper in the blood, as it may act as a biomarker of tumor activity. In particular, increased levels of circulating copper over normal ranges indicate increased use of copper by tumor cells. Maximum serum copper levels in blood may vary depending on the analytical method used to measure them. Serum copper level over normal ranges is over 60 pg/dL, optionally over 150 pg/dL.

According to an embodiment of the invention, if the serum copper level in the blood sample of a human subject affected by a neoplasm, is higher than 60 pg/dL, preferably higher than 150 pg/dL, then the subject is treated by administering a therapeutically efficient amount of a radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients and/or diluents, having a radioconcentration comprised between 50 and 3,500 MBq/mL at calibration time. Thus, the present inventors have shown that high levels of copper in the blood can be used as a positive indicator for the outcome of copper-64 treatments. The neoplasms are therefore specific neoplasms that a more sensitive to copper-64 treatment if the subject has elevated blood copper levels. An embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for treating neoplasms in individuals with elevated blood copper levels, as described above. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of copper-64 for the treatment of a neoplasm of an individual with elevated blood copper levels. A further embodiment of the present invention relates to the use of copper-64 for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of a neoplasm of an individual with elevated blood copper levels. According to an embodiment of the invention, the dose that can be injected for therapeutic scope to have a safe and effective action is from a minimum of 7 MBq/kg to a maximum of 210 MBq/kg. According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the dose that can be injected for therapeutic scope to have a safe and effective action is from a minimum of 13 MBq/kg to a maximum of 105 MBq/kg.

The dose will be calculated on the basis of the weight of the subject. For example, a patient of 70 kg can receive a dose between 1,850 MBq and 4,810 MBq. For a child of 25 kg the dose can be between 325 MBq to 2,625 MBq. In specific embodiments, a therapeutically efficient amount of the composition is administered to said subject 1 to 7 times per treatment cycle. The cycle can be repeated more than one time, preferably from one cycle to seven. The frequency of administration can comprise from 1 to 3 administrations per week. For each treatment cycle, the dosage regimen can comprise the administration of an increasing dose or of a fixed dose to the patient. At least 15 days should normally pass between each cycle and the next.

If an increasing dose regimen is used, typically the first dose is an initial therapeutic dose (Xi) and the following doses may be calculated as follow:

An exemplary treatment regimen comprises the following administrations for each cycle to an adult patient: 1 ^st dose= 1,850 MBq, 2 ^nd dose= 2,460MBq, 3 ^rd dose= 2,922 MBq, 4 ^th dose= 3,292 MBq, 5 ^th dose= 3,606 MBq, 6 ^th dose= 3,865 MBq, 7 ^th dose= 4,068 MBq, where the total activity administered is equal to 22,063 MBq per cycle.

A different exemplary treatment regimen comprises the following administrations for each cycle to an adult patient: 1 ^st dose = 4,810 MBq, 2 ^nd dose= 4,810 MBq, 3 ^rd dose= 4,810 MBq, 4 ^th dose= 4,810 MBq, 5 ^th dose= 4,810 MBq, 6 ^th dose= 4,810MBq, 7 ^th dose= 4,810 MBq, where the total activity administered is equal to 33,670 MBq per cycle.

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that can remain stable in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (no progression, no new lesions identified, stable disease).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 50% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (reduction of lesions, no new lesions, partial response).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 60% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (reduction of lesions, no new lesions, partial response).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 70% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (reduction of lesions, no new lesions, partial response).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 80% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (reduction of lesions, no new lesions, partial response).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 90% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (reduction of lesions, no new lesions, partial response).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 95% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (reduction of lesions, no new lesions, partial response).

In certain aspects the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can have an incidence on the volume of the tumor lesion that results reduced at 100% in comparison to the volume of the lesions before treatment (disappearance of lesions, no new lesions, complete response).

In certain embodiments the administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can inhibit, and/or delay, and/or reduce tumor growth in that subject. In certain aspects the growth of the tumor is delayed by at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% to the predicted growth of the tumor without the treatment.

In certain embodiments, the administration of the drug to a subject that has been selected for that treatment can increase the length of survival of the subject in comparison to the predicted length of survival of the subject without the treatment. In certain aspects the length of survival is increased by at least 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 180 days, 365 days, 547 days, 730 days in comparison to the predicted length of survival of the subject without the treatment.

According to one embodiment, the cycle can be repeated more than one time, before selecting patient for a further cycle of treatment, a PET/CT or PET/MRI with ⁶⁴ CuC12, and/or a conventional imaging for example MRI, CT, SPECT, US, PET with other radioisotopes differently from Cu-64 is performed at least after 15 days, preferably after 30 days, after the end of the last treatment. If the PET/CT or PET/MRI and/or a conventional imaging for example MRI, CT, SPECT, US, PET with other radioisotopes differently from Cu-64 evaluation show response to treatment, as defined above, the patient can proceed with a further cycle of treatment. The treatment and the dose calculation can be applied both to an adult patient and to pediatric population.

These doses and dosage schemes have never been tested before for efficacy and safety and do not derive from the preclinical literature data. In fact, starting from all pre-clinical data, it is possible to extrapolate and estimate the injectable dose to the patient, the extrapolation takes into account the differences in organ weights between man and animal, assuming a similar kinetic trend. The inventors performed a simulation with OLINDA software taking into account the possible variation of the organs exposed to greater risks, which is kidney in mouse while liver in humans (Linder et al., 1998). However, the extrapolation cannot be translated to humans, because the converted dose for humans resulted very high. Therefore, the doses were defined starting from the diagnostic dose. Furthermore, this is the first time, in which an evaluation of the safety profile and the Dose Limiting Toxicity was performed. No treatment related toxicities were registered associated to liver/kidney and red marrow distribution.

The disclosure also relates to a pharmaceutical composition as described in the previous section for use as PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging agent in monitoring and determining whether a subject responds or not to ⁶⁴ CuC12 treatment.

After each therapeutic injection it is possible to perform a PET/CT or PET/MRI to the subject to monitor response to the treatment without the necessity to inject other tracers. The monitoring of response to treatment let to control the trend of the disease and the response of the body to the treatment, including monitoring possible toxicities evaluating the biodistribution. Therefore, for example after the 4 ^th therapeutic dose of the first cycle of therapy the physician decide to perform a PET/CT scan to evaluate if continuing the treatment or interrupting, preventing the continuation of the treatment in patient that does not answer to the treatment.

The results of the PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging can be compared with a standard imaging for example MRI, CT, SPECT, US, PET with other radioisotopes differently from Cu-64 . Nowadays there are no PET techniques evaluated to monitor response to ⁶⁴ CuCh treatment.

The human subject that undergo the treatment can be male or female, can be an adult patient or a child.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the neoplasm that can be treated with the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention may be an in situ neoplasm, a malignant neoplasm and a neoplasm of uncertain or unknown behavior. Malignant neoplasms are also simply known as "cancers" or “carcinomas”. The invention can be used for all the cancer or tumor types that are able to have an uptake of copper, in consideration of the same mechanism used for ⁶⁴ Cu internalization by the tumour cell. Examples of cancers that can be treated with the radiopharmaceutical composition of the invention are pancreatic, prostate, brain, in particular, glioblastoma and astrocytoma, breast, ovary, urogenital, head-neck, esophagus, stomach, intestines, colon and lung cancer, as well as melanoma, leukemia and lymphoma.

An object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of head-neck or brain cancer, in particular glioma, glioblastoma or astrocytoma.

Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of prostate cancer or metastatic prostate cancer.

A further object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of breast or ovary cancer.

Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of esophagus, stomach, intestines or colon cancer. Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of lung cancer.

Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of leukemia or lymphoma. Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment of a neuroendocrine tumor.

Another object of the present invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition as mentioned above, for use as a medicament in the treatment melanoma.

A specific object of the invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients and/or diluents in a saline solution having a radioconcentration at calibration time of 2,775 MBq/mL for use as a medicament in the treatment of glioblastoma, wherein the composition is to be administered by injection.

A specific object of the invention is the radiopharmaceutical composition comprising as the active ingredient copper-64 in ionic form ( ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺⁺ ), in combination with suitable excipients and/or diluents in a saline solution having a radioconcentration at calibration time of 2,775 MBq/mL for use as a medicament in the treatment of prostate cancer or metastatic prostate cancer, wherein the composition is to be administered by injection.

The possibility to use the composition in different tumor types is linked to the mechanism of copper internalization in the tumor cell, that is the same independently from the tumor type. Indeed, in the tumor there is an higher content of copper in comparison to normal cells and ⁶⁴ Cu ²⁺ follows this abnormal copper homeostasis replacing chemical Cu ²⁺ ions. In the blood stream, ⁶⁴ Cu ²⁺ ions can be bound to plasma proteins (such as ceruloplasmine, albumin and transcuprein) and these proteins transfer ⁶⁴ Cu ²⁺ ions to the outer cell membrane, where they are reduced to ⁶⁴ Cu ⁺ ions by reductase enzymes. In this reduced oxidation state, Cu ⁺ ions are then transported across the cell membrane by the human copper transporter 1 (CTR1) and once into the cell copper trafficking is mediated by chaperones, which typically receive Cu ⁺ immediately after it enters the cell. These chaperones deliver Cu ⁺ ions to cytosolic SOD1, cytochrome C oxidase (COX) in the mitochondria, ATP7A and ATP7B are responsible to transport copper to the trans-Golgi network, and the antioxidant protein (ATOX1) into the nucleus (Boschi et al., 2018).

The proof of the ⁶⁴ CuC12 internalization in tumor cells is evident from the preclinical studies with microPET, but also from clinical studies. Jorgensen and collaborators studied with microPET, after administration of ⁶⁴ CuC12, mice transplanted with a series of 5 human neoplastic cell lines, including ovarian cancer, head and neck, neuroendocrine lung carcinoma, colorectal cancer, glioblastoma showing a significant uptake of ⁶⁴ Cu ²⁺ by neoplastic tissues (Jorgensen et al., 2013). This capability of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to be a tracer of copper homeostasis has been also confirmed in the clinical setting for example in prostate cancer (Piccardo et al., 2017), glioblastoma (Panichelli et al., 2016) urological malignancies (Mascia et al., 2021) and non-small cell lung cancer (Garcia- Perez et al., 2020) showing that the radioisotope has the capability to enter the tumor cell of a very different kind of tumors.

Several studies correlate ⁶⁴ CuC12 uptake by the tumor cells to the overexpression of CTR1 in tumors, showing its potential as a promising target for molecular imaging, and its role in making ⁶⁴ CUC12 selective for tumor cells.

In the study of Kim et al. in human breast cancer cells, an increased uptake of ⁶⁴ CuC12 resulted correlated to a CTR1 overexpression (Kim et al., 2014), while, as confirmation, inhibition of CTR1 in prostate cancer resulted in a decreased uptake of ⁶⁴ CuCh (Cai et al., 2014). The involvement of CTR1 in ⁶⁴ CUC12 uptake have been demonstrated also in other tumor types such as hepatocellular carcinoma (Peng et al., 2005), prostate cancer (Peng et al., 2006; Cai et al., 2014), melanoma (Qin et al, 2014), neuroblastoma (Pamar et al., 2018), Lung (Wang et al., 2020), ovarian cancer, head and neck, colorectal cancer and glioblastoma (Jorgensen et al., 2013).

Other transporters/chaperones influence ⁶⁴ Cu uptake, such as ATOX1, that results overexpressed in different tumor types such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma and involved in copper transport (Cai H et al, 2013; Beaino et al., 2014; Karginova et al., 2019; Kim et al., 2019).

Considering that CTR1 and ATOX1 are correlated to ⁶⁴ CuCh uptake, they have the potential to become predictive biomarkers of treatment response and useful biomarkers for patient selection. Finally, the tumors that internalize ⁶⁴ CuC12, and for which the tracer is successfully visualized by PET/CT or PET/MRI, can be treated with ⁶⁴ CuC12, highlighting the high potential of using ⁶⁴ CuCh as a theragnostic agent.

The radiopharmaceutical composition and the method of the invention can bring a great contribution to patient care comparing to existing therapies. In particular, with respect to other treatments with radiopharmaceuticals defined as theragnostic, which contemplate the injection of two different doses and two different compounds, the method according to the invention envisions that the same radiopharmaceutical can be used as select the subj ect to be treated, to treat the subj ect selected and to monitor the response of the subject to the treatment; this brings the following advantages to patients:

• Reduce the adverse effect that can arise from multiple drug interactions: Patients avoid the injection of different compounds therefore this approach can reduce the adverse effect that can arise from multiple drug interactions without the necessity to administer another PET/CT imaging agent for diagnosis or for monitoring response to treatment, it is reduced the risk of adverse events occurrence associated to drug-drug interactions

• Monitoring response to treatment in real-time: during treatment is not necessary to inject a further dose of another radiopharmaceutical to monitor response to treatment his treatment approach has the great advantage that with a PET/CT scan the drug effects can be monitored in real-time during the therapy course whenever clinician retain proper. This is essential in view of a personalized medicine, in fact the control of the response to therapy would let the physician to decide if interrupting the treatment if retained not effective for the patient or continue without losing time for waiting for the administration of another therapeutic agent. For example, after the injection of the 4 ^th therapeutic dose of ⁶⁴ CuC12 a PET/CT is performed without the necessity of administering another and different drug for the assessment of tumor response.

• Predict the proper therapy choice: with the first diagnostic injection the physician can verify if the patient is appropriate to start the treatment or not. In case with the first injection there is no uptake, the patient can be redirect towards another treatment, on the other hand, in case there is significant uptake, it can be expected to have good possibility for treatment to be effective. Therefore, this can be a fast approach to predict if the treatment can be used or not for that particular subject

• Increase the compliance of patient: the patients shows more compliance if the same drug can be used for multiple scopes because he feels more confident on a drug that has already been injected without giving side effect, furthermore the patient appreciate the reduction of the number of drugs that receive

• Reduced exposure of the hospital personnel: the use of the same tracer for diagnostic, therapeutic and monitoring response to treatment, reduce the exposure of the personnel during the manipulation steps of the product (eg reduce exposure in preparing different doses)

Definitions

"Theragnostics" (or "theragnostic/theranostic" method) is here intended to be a treatment strategy that combines therapeutics with diagnostics. It associates both a diagnostic test that identifies patients most likely to be helped or harmed by a new medication, and targeted drug therapy based on the test results.

A "neoplasm" is here intended to be a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. This abnormal growth usually forms a mass, when it may be called "tumor". The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called "neoplasia". According to ICD-10 (Neoplasms - International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) Version for 2010. World Health Organization. Retrieved 19 June 2014) neoplasms are classified into four main groups: benign neoplasms, in situ neoplasms, malignant neoplasms, and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior. Malignant neoplasms are also simply known as "cancers" or “carcinomas”.

According to the present invention, the expressions “treatment” or “treating” are intended to refer to activities designed to cure, ameliorate, inhibit or mitigate the symptoms or delay the progression of a disease or a pathological condition.

The expression "radiopharmaceutical" composition is intended here to refer to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a radioactive isotope.

According to the present invention, the expression "radioconcentration" is intended to mean concentration of a radioisotope. It is measured in mCi/mL or MBq/mL at the time of calibration (TOC), generally at the end of synthesis (EOS).

With the term "excipient", it is intended here to refer to conventional excipients, i.e. inert compounds towards the active ingredient of a composition.

The invention will now be described by making reference to the following non-limiting Examples. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 - Impact of different radioconcentrations on tumor cell uptake

⁶⁴ CUC12 cell uptake in different tumor cell lines U87MG, PC-3, CAMA1, C8161, HT-29. Cell uptake was evaluated treating cells at the same dosage (15 MBq/dish 100mm), but at three different radioconcentrations Cl=925MBq/mL, C2=l,850 MBq/mL, C3=2,775 MBq/mL. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM.

Figure 2 - Impact of different radioconcentrations on tumor cell survival

Survival curve of U87MG treated with the same dosage range but at three different concentrations Cl=925MBq/mL, C2=l,850 MBq/mL, C3=2,775 MBq/mL. Value are expressed as mean ± SEM. (**p < 0.01 *** p < 0.001 compared to cell treated with Cl). D0= No treatment, Dl=0.0034MBq, D2=0.034 D3=0.34, D4=1.7 MBq , D5=3.4MBq. C3 let to have at D4 and D5 an improved cell killing-effect of about 30% compared to CL

Figure 3 - Tumor volume reduction after ⁶⁴ CuCh treatment

Graphic representation of tumor volume reduction of the lesion of a single glioblastoma patient evaluated by MRI. The volume was evaluated at day 0 (before treatment beginning), at day 42 (after 7 treatments of 64CuC12) and at day 90 (3 months follow up). This patient was treated with a fixed dose of 4,810 MBq for 7 weeks, 1 treatment per week. X axis: MRI examination day 0=before treatment beginning, day 42= after 7 treatments, day 90= 3 months after the end of treatment, day 180= 6 months after the end of treatment. Y axis: sum of products of perpendicular diameters of all measurable enhancing lesion

Figure 4 - Pre- and Post-treatment MRI

MRI of a glioblastoma patient treated with 7 fixed doses of ⁶⁴ CuC12 (4,810 MBq) once a week.

On the left the MRI performed before starting treatment, on the right the MRI performed 90 days after the start of treatment. The patient resulted responder to the treatment indeed MRI showed a tumor volume reduction after treatment >50%.

EXAMPLES

Example 1 - Compositions to be used in the selection step

In the selection step an efficient amount of ⁶⁴ CuCh is administered as a contrast agent for PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging._The composition of the medicinal product ⁶⁴ CuCh for the selection step is a ready-to-use solution for injection (intravenous use) at a radioconcentration from 930 MBq/mL to 3,500 MBq/mL, preferably of 2,775 MBq/mL at date and time of calibration as a single dose product or as a multidose doses product. The volume of the solution for injection varies from 0.5 to 20 mL for single dose. Drug synthesis steps are performed in a closed-system synthesis module which is automated and remotely controlled by GMP compliant software with automated monitoring and recording of the process parameters. In consideration of the nature of the product (radioactive) a natural decay of the radionuclide occurs, which is a property of radiopharmaceuticals, therefore the radio concentration change over time and this is the reason why the above mentioned raioconcentrations refers to a calibration time.

Example 2 - Composition to be used in the treatment step

The composition of the medicinal product ⁶⁴ CuC12 for the treatment step is a ready-to-use solution for injection (intravenous use) at a radioconcentration from 930 MBq/mL to 3,500 MBq/mL, at date and time of calibration as a single dose product or as a multidose doses product. The volume of the solution for injection varies from 0.5 to 20 mL for single dose. The solution can be diluted before administration with NaCl 0.9%.

Alternatively, the composition of the medicinal product ⁶⁴ CuC12 for the treatment step is a ready- to-use solution for infusion at a radioconcentration comprised between 50 MBq/mL and 925 MB/mL, at calibration time. The volume of the solution for infusion varies from 5 to 30 mL for single dose.

Drug synthesis steps are performed in a closed-system synthesis module which is automated and remotely controlled by GMP compliant software with automated monitoring and recording of the process parameters. In consideration of the nature of the product (radioactive) a natural decay of the radionuclide occurs, which is a property of radiopharmaceuticals, therefore the radio concentration change over time and this is the reason why the above mentioned radioconcentrations refers to a calibration time.

Example 3 - Protocol for treating a human patient with ⁶⁴ CuCh

In the present protocol the medicinal product used is ⁶⁴ CuCh at a radioconcentration from 930 MBq/mL to 3,500 MBq/mL as solution for injection and as a single dose product. Copper-64 has a half-life of 12.7 hours.

Step a: Administering an efficient amount of ⁶⁴ CuCh as a contrast agent for PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging Patients with tumor received ⁶⁴ CuCh at a dose between 370 - 925 MBq to ensure appropriate image quality. The mean effective dose for ⁶⁴ CuCh calculated is 20 mSv per exam, which is aligned with the ones from the conventional PET imaging.

Step b: Acquiring images PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging with ⁶⁴ CuCh and selecting patients for the treatment

The imaging PET/CT or PET/MRI is performed Ih after ⁶⁴ CuCh injection. In case an imaging PET/CT is acquired, the parameters for the CT (AC/ AL): 100 mAs (adjustments will be possible according to body mass), 130 kVa, contiguous slices of 5 mm. Once the CT acquisition is completed, the PET acquisition includes 2 number of iterations, 8 number of subsets, 128 acquisition matrix. Each PET bad position is acquired for 3-4 minutes, providing a total scan time of 15-20 minutes. After performing the PET/CT or PET/MRI scan, the imaging is evaluated to identify lesions and see the uptake of ⁶⁴ CuCh in the cancer lesion of the patient. SUVmax of the lesion and the SUVbackgroundfor the specific "background tissue” is measured to calculate the Target to background ratio (TBR). Patient’s lesion is determined as positive for ⁶⁴ CuC12 uptake (i.e. evidencing an uptake of ⁶⁴ CuC12), if TBR results equal or higher than 5. In this case the subject, showing copper-64 uptake, is eligible and can proceed with treatment.

Step c: Treatment with ⁶⁴ CuC12

The treatment can start from the same day of the diagnostic administration up to 30 days after diagnostic administration. The patients identified with positive tumor lesions according to step b) receives a therapeutic dose in the range 1,850 MBq - 4,810 MBq of ⁶⁴ CuC12 in 1-7 doses via parental administration.

According to nuclear medicine clinical practice a range of ± 10% is accepted for each administered dose without any risk for the safety of the patient.

The treatment can be monitored during the course, the day of injection of the therapeutic dose a PET/CT or a PET/MRI can be acquired.

Example 4 - Selection of cancer patients for the treatment with TBR

According to the dosimetry evaluations from two different phase I clinical trials, evaluating the preliminary capability of ⁶⁴ CuC12 to be a theragnostic agent respectively in 16 patients affected by glioblastoma and 16 patients affected by prostate cancer, the TBR obtained from the PET/CT scan performed in the selection/eligibility step was also correlated to the response to copper chloride treatment. These results showed that the TBR of the non-responder patient was higher compared to the responder ones, in particular on the basis of the clinical data, TBR value > 25 resulted in non-responder patients and TBR from 5 to 25 resulted in patients classified as responders. Therefore TBR, in addition to represent an index of tumor uptake in patients, it can be a predictive index of ⁶⁴ CuC12 treatment response. The PET/CT or PET/MRI results essential to select the proper patient that can start ⁶⁴ CuC12 treatment avoiding to expose the patient to the risk to start an unsuccessful treatment.

Example 5 - Pharmacokinetic profile of the composition

Six glioblastoma patients were evaluated for safety profile and the study of biodistribution was conducted including evaluation of PET/CT scans after first daily dose administration of radiopharmaceutical composition having a radioconcentration of 2,775 MBq/mL (day 0), at different time points Ih, 4h, 24h, 48h after injection and pharmacokinetic (PK) radioactivity on blood samples at different time points of administration.

The ⁶⁴ Cu pharmacokinetic profile in the present study showed that the ⁶⁴ Cu uptake increases up to 4h post-injection and decreased thereafter, indicating the in vivo stability of the theragnostic radiopharmaceutical. Data revealed a significant uptake in the liver (as expected) followed by kidney and L2-L4 regions. No treatment related toxicities were registered associated to liver/kidney and red marrow distribution. The effective dose ranged from 0.27 to 45.44 mSv with a median of 26.08 mSv. These values were considered acceptable for a theragnostic application.

Example 6 - Response to ⁶⁴ CuCh treatment in glioblastoma patients

A glioblastoma patient of 70 kg that belongs to the class of recurrent glioblastoma. The patient underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and after that experienced recurrence. Standard treatment are not effective in this setting therefore the patient received a diagnostic dose of ⁶⁴ CuCh equal to 925 MBq. After Ih from administration a PET/CT scan is performed. The patient resulted positive for copper lesion at the diagnostic dose and started treatment

The treatment with ⁶⁴ CuC12 (2,775 MBq/mL) for intravenous use by inj ection followed this scheme and the patient received once a week:

1st dose = 4,810 MBq, 2nd dose=4,810 MBq, 3rd dose= 4,810 MBq, 4th dose=4,810 MBq, 5th dose=4,810 MBq, 6th dose=4,810MBq, 7th dose=4,810MBq

Where the total activity administered is equal to 33,670 MBq x cycle.

The efficacy of this radiopharmaceutical composition, at these dose ranges and dose intervals is shown in Figure 3. The radiopharmaceutical composition tested with this dosage regimen showed the capability to induce a tumor volume reduction. In particular, standard imaging (MRI) showed a tumor volume reduction after 3 months (day 90) from treatment beginning over 50% (Figure 4). Example 7 - Treatment of a prostate cancer patient that belongs to the class of metastatic prostate cancer

The patient at initial diagnosis had local tumor, and after surgery (radical prostatectomy) he underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, he experienced local recurrence plus a bone metastatic lesion. After receiving all standard treatments, the patient received a diagnostic dose of ⁶⁴ CUC12 equal to 925 MBq. After Ih from administration a PET/CT scan is performed. The patient resulted positive for copper lesion at the diagnostic dose and started treatment.

The treatment with the composition ⁶⁴ CuC12 (2,775 MBq/mL) as solution for injection followed this scheme and the patient received once a week:

1st dose = 4,810 MBq, 2nd dose=4,810 MBq, 3rd dose= 4,810 MBq, 4th dose=4,810 MBq, 5th dose=4,810 MBq, 6th dose=4,810MBq 7th dose=4,810MBq

Where the total activity administered is equal to 33,670 MBq x cycle.

After the treatment the analysis of the PET/CT before and after treatment showed a reduction of the tumor lesions on the bone, indicating a therapeutic effect of this composition. Example 8 - Treatment of a glioblastoma patient that belongs to the class of recurrent glioblastoma

The patient (71 Kg) underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and after that experienced recurrence. Standard treatments are not effective in this setting therefore the patient received a diagnostic dose of ⁶⁴ CuC12 equal to 925 MBq. After Ih from administration a PET/CT scan is performed. The patient resulted positive for copper lesion at the diagnostic dose and started treatment ( ⁶⁴ CuC12 277 MBq/mL for intravenous by infusion).

The treatment followed this scheme and the patient received once a week:

1 ^st dose = 1,850 MBq, 2 ^nd dose=2,460MBq, 3 ^rd dose= 2,922 MBq, 4 ^th dose=3,292 MBq, 5 ^th dose=3,606 MBq, 6 ^th dose=3,865 MBq, 7 ^th dose= 4,068 MBq.

The total activity administered is equal to 22,063 MBq per cycle.

The patient resulted responder to the treatment.

Example 9 - Treatment of a paediatric patient affected by high grade glioma

The patient (25 kg) received a diagnostic dose of ⁶⁴ CuC12 equal to 132,5 MBq. After Ih from administration a PET/CT scan is performed. The child resulted positive for copper lesion at the diagnostic dose and the treatment started.

The patient received the following treatment scheme with 3 treatments per week:

1st dose= 1,700 MBq, 2nd dose= 1,700 MBq, 3rd dose= 1,700 MBq, 4th dose= 1,700 MBq, 5th dose= 1,700 MBq, 6th dose=l,700 MBq 7th dose=l,700 MBq

Where the total activity administered is equal to 11,900 MBq x cycle.

The composition was ⁶⁴ CuC12925 MBq/mL for intravenous administration by infusion.

Example 10 - Treatment response after 7 doses of ⁶⁴ CuCh

The phase I clinical trial on glioblastoma is the first study evaluating preliminary efficacy of ⁶⁴ CuC12 2,775 MBq/mL as therapeutic agent. This determination was performed on 10 patients, at the end of the 7th therapy dose, at 90th day (after 3 months of the last treatment) and whenever possible at 180th day to obtain a wider evaluation of the disease status. Data cut-off was performed after 5 patients. The response to treatment, in term of anti -tumor activity of ⁶⁴ CuCh, was measured by MRI, assessed according to the RANO criteria (Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology, see Wen PY et al.) and defined as complete response (disappearance of tumor) partial response (reduction) and stable disease (non-progression of GBM). Among these patients 4 resulted responders and 1 non-responder. All patients were evaluated after 7 treatments with ⁶⁴ CuC12 and MRI assessment of the responder patients showed, at day 42 evaluation, stable disease in 3 patients and a reduction of tumor volume >50% compared to baseline MRI examination in one patient. Tumor volume reduction >50% was also shown in two cases after three months from the last treatment, and in one patient after 6 months from the last treatment. Furthermore 2 patients resulted at day 90 with stable disease and one showed stable disease up to six months after treatment.

Example 11 - Monitoring to response to treatment

The PET/CT (or PET/MRI) can be used to monitor response to the treatment without the necessity to inject another tracer but acquiring the PET/CT after the administration. Infact in 10 patients affected by glioblastoma treated with 7 doses of ⁶⁴ CuC12 a PET/CT was acquired at the end of the 7 ^th therapeutic doses. At the same timepoint a standard imaging, an MRI examination was performed. The response to treatment, in term of anti -tumor activity of ⁶⁴ CuC12 , was measured by MRI, assessed according to the RANO criteria and defined as complete response (disappearance of tumor) partial response (reduction) and stable disease (non-progression of GBM). Two external revisors analyzed the PET/CT imaging for number of lesions, localization of lesion, SUVmax lesion, SUVb ackground, TBR. The response to treatment was also measured by PET/CT. The analysis obtained with the standard imaging MRI were compared with the analysis obtained by PET/CT imaging, the results show coincidence in localization of tumor lesion and a superimposable classification of response to treatment, indicating the ⁶⁴ CuC12 PET/CT a technique useful to monitor the response to treatment over due course. This method can be applied to all the tumor lines that are able to have an uptake of Copper-64.

Example 12 - Treatment response after 4 doses of ⁶⁴ CuCh

Five patients affected by prostate cancer showed treatment response after 4 injections of therapeutic administration of ⁶⁴ CuC122,775 MBq/mL solution for injection. The PET/CT acquired the same day of the 4 ^th therapeutic administration and the PET/CT acquired before treatment beginning were analyzed by two independent observers (a third observer expressed another evaluation only in case of discrepancies). After 4 administrations the volume of lesions showed a reduction or a nonprogression indicating the efficacy of the treatment. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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