Fluorine F 18 DASA-23

**Semantic type:** Pharmacologic Substance

**Definition:** A radiotracer composed of DASA-23, a pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2) ligand, conjugated to the radioisotope fluorine F 18, with potential use for imaging of PKM2-expressing tumor cells upon positron emission tomography (PET). Upon administration of fluorine F 18 DASA-23, the DASA-23 moiety selectively targets and is taken up by tumor cells that express PKM2. Upon binding to PKM2 and following PET, PKM2-expressing tumor cells can be visualized and the metabolic activity of the tumor cells can be assessed through the quantitation of PKM2 expression levels. PKM2, an enzyme that plays a key role in the glycolytic reprogramming, metabolic activity and rapid proliferation of tumor cells, is selectively overexpressed in various tumor cell types. Tumor uptake of fluorine F 18 DASA-23 is positively correlated with PKM2 expression.

**Synonyms:** - 1-((2-Fluoro-6-[18F]fluorophenyl)sulfonyl)-4-((4-methoxyphenyl)sulfonyl)piperazine - 18F-DASA-23 - F18-labeled PKM2 Inhibitor DASA-23 - F18-labeled Pyruvate Kinase M2 Inhibitor DASA-23 - [18F]DASA-23 - [18F]DASA23