Biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of the novel hypoxia PET probe [ 18 F]DiFA and comparison with [ 18 F]FMISO

Background To facilitate hypoxia imaging in a clinical setting, we developed 1-(2,2-dihydroxymethyl-3-[18F]-fluoropropyl)-2-nitroimidazole ([18F]DiFA) as a new tracer that targets tumor hypoxia with its lower lipophilicity and efficient radiosynthesis. Here, we evaluated the radiation dosage, biodistribution, human safety, tolerability, and early elimination after the injection of [18F]DiFA in healthy subjects, and we performed a preliminary clinical study of patients with malignant tumors in a comparison with [18F]fluoromisonidazole ([18F]FMISO).