Preclinical evaluation of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescently labeled cetuximab as a potential tool for fluorescence-guided surgery

The high rate of recurrence in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) could be reduced by supporting the surgeons in discriminating healthy from diseased tissues with intraoperative fluorescence-guidance. Here, we studied the suitability of Cetuximab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), near-infrared (NIR) fluorescently labeled as a new tool for fluorescence-guided surgery. Distribution and binding of systemically injected Cetuximab Alexa Fluor 647 conjugate (Cetux-Alexa-647) and the co-injected control human IgG Alexa Fluor 750 conjugate (hIgG-Alexa-750) was studied over 48 h by NIR fluorescence imaging in mice bearing human orthotopic AsPC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 PDAC tumors. Cetux-Alexa-647, but not the control hIgG-Alexa-750 fluorescence, was specifically detected in vivo in both primary pancreatic tumors with maximum fluorescence intensities at 24 h, and in metastases of AsPC-1 tumors as small as 1 mm. Lifetime analysis and NIR fluorescence microscopy of tumor sections confirmed the binding specificity of Cetux-Alexa-647 to PDAC cells. Comparable results were obtained with Cetuximab conjugated to Alexa Fluor 750 dye (Cetux-Alexa-750). Fluorescence-guided dissection, performed 24 h after injection of Cetuximab conjugated to IRDye 800CW (Cetux-800CW), enabled a real-time delineation of AsPC-1 tumor margins, and small metastases. Odyssey scans revealed that only the vital part of the tumor, but not the necrotic part was stained with Cetux-800CW. NIR fluorescently labeled Cetuximab may be a promising tool that can be applied for fluorescence-guided surgery to visualize tumor margins and metastatic sites in order to allow a precise surgical resection.