title: Intravitreal concentrations of a near-infrared fluorescence-labeled biotherapeutic determined in situ using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The pharmacokinetics of ophthalmic biotherapeutics are difficult to determine in human vitreous humor. Because of the high transparency of living tissue to near-infrared (NIR) light, the temporal changes in vitreous concentrations of a biomolecule labeled with an NIR fluorescent probe can be monitored in situ with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO).
  
  
  METHODS
  A humanized IgG was labeled with the NIR probe IRDye800CW (CVX-4164). Rabbits were given CVX-4164 intravitreally, and NIR fluorescence intensity was measured in the central plane of the vitreous humor with an SLO. Fluorescence intensities were converted to concentrations by using standard curves.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Little background fluorescence was detected, and the minimum detectable concentration of CVX-4164 was <10 nM. Vitreal concentrations of CVX-4164 determined in situ declined with time, with C(max) ≈ 1 μM and t½ = 145 hours (112-μg dose). The t½ of CVX-4164 was approximately three times greater than that of the IRDye800CW alone, whereas the vitreal clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (V(ss)) of the native dye were approximately 2000- and 550-fold greater than that of the conjugate. CVX-4164 concentrations determined in situ were 2.6 to 4.4 times higher than those determined by ex vivo NIR fluorescence or ELISA in homogenized vitreous humor, reflecting the greater spatial resolution of in situ imaging. Moreover, vitreal concentrations determined in situ were >3 orders of magnitude greater than plasma concentrations of CVX-4164, as determined by ELISA, and had a different kinetic profile.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates the feasibility of determining the pharmacokinetics of intraocular biotherapeutics labeled with NIR fluorescent probes by in situ monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacology and Ophthalmology, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., San Diego, California, USA. basile_anthony@allergan.com
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Glazier
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Li-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Theodore R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vezina
authors.forename: Venkata R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Doppalapudi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006207:Half-Life; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism*; D007211:Indoles / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C427728:IRDye800; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007211:Indoles