# Immuno-PET

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/immuno-pet/  
OnCo record `immuno-pet` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

PET scans built from radiolabelled antibodies or their fragments, to see any protein an antibody can reach, including immune cells inside tumours.

## Summary

Immuno-PET attaches long-lived positron emitters such as 89Zr or 64Cu to antibodies, minibodies or nanobodies, so that any protein an antibody can reach can be imaged across the whole body. It covers 89Zr-antibody imaging of ADC targets including TROP2 and HER2, and T-cell imaging with 89Zr-crefmirlimab berdoxam, a CD8 minibody, and 18F-AraG, which marks activated T cells. CD8 PET is in phase 2/3 as a pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarker for checkpoint inhibitors, aiming to show whether T cells are entering tumours early in treatment. The strengths are non-invasive imaging of target and immune infiltrate, and the fact that any antibody can be turned into a tracer. Full antibodies have slow kinetics, requiring days before imaging, and 89Zr is costly. Immuno-PET turns therapeutic antibodies into imaging agents that show where their targets and the immune cells are.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: phase-2
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Principle: Long-lived positron emitters (89Zr, 64Cu) chelated to antibodies, minibodies, or nanobodies.
- Strengths: Images target and immune infiltrate non-invasively; Any antibody can be turned into a tracer
- Limitations: Slow kinetics for full antibodies; Cost of 89Zr

## Sources

- Bensch et al., 89Zr-atezolizumab imaging as a non-invasive approach to assess clinical response to PD-L1 blockade (Nature Medicine 2018): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0255-8

## Connected records

- fronts: [Imaging](https://onco.cc/fronts/imaging/), [Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/immunotherapy/)
- technologies: [CAIX PET (89Zr-girentuximab)](https://onco.cc/technologies/caix-pet/), [HER2 PET](https://onco.cc/technologies/her2-pet/), [Monoclonal antibodies](https://onco.cc/technologies/monoclonal-antibody/), [PET (positron emission tomography)](https://onco.cc/technologies/pet/), [PET/CT](https://onco.cc/technologies/pet-ct/), [Quantum-dot and molecular ultrasound imaging agents](https://onco.cc/technologies/quantum-dot-imaging/), [TROP2 PET](https://onco.cc/technologies/trop2-pet/)
- targets: [HER2](https://onco.cc/targets/her2/), [PD-1](https://onco.cc/targets/pd1/), [PD-L1](https://onco.cc/targets/pdl1/), [TROP2](https://onco.cc/targets/trop2/)
- key papers: [89 Zr-atezolizumab imaging as a non-invasive approach to assess clinical response to PD-L1 blockade in cancer](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-bensch-nat-med/)
- cancers: [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/)
- roadmaps: [ADC roadmap: from Mylotarg to bispecific and dual-payload ADCs](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/adc-generations/), [Immunotherapy roadmap: Coley's toxins → checkpoint inhibitors → engineered immunity](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/immunotherapy-roadmap/), [Molecular imaging roadmap: FDG → PSMA → FAP → antigen and immune PET](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/molecular-imaging-roadmap/)
- ideas: [A phase 0 fund to test academic compounds in humans with microdoses and imaging](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-fund-phase-zero-fund/), [CD8 PET to stop or switch immunotherapy early](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-cd8-pet-io/), [Open the barrier so engineered immune cells can enter the brain](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-bio2-fus-for-cell-entry/), [Re-map the tumour's surface proteins before choosing the next antibody drug](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-bio1-antigen-mapping-at-progression/), [TROP2 PET to choose and sequence TROP2 ADCs](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-trop2-pet-selection/)
- people: [Jason S. Lewis](https://onco.cc/people/jason-lewis/)
- bottlenecks: [No one can predict who responds to immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-immunotherapy-response/)
- institutions: [Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre](https://onco.cc/institutions/onj-cancer-centre/)
- drugs: [Zirconium-89 girentuximab](https://onco.cc/drugs/girentuximab-zr89/)
- trials: [89Zr-TLX250 for PET/CT Imaging of ccRCC - ZIRCON-CP Study](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06750419/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/immuno-pet.json