Bifunctional chelates for radio-pharmaceutical labeling.

The use of the first of a new class of chelating agents for the binding of metal ions to macromolecules as a novel approach to radiopharmaceutical labeling is described. Advantages are mild reaction conditions, large variety of accessible radionuclides and reactive groups, and separation of synthetic organic chemistry from radiochemistry. Human serum albumin and bovine fibrinogen labeled with 111Indium using this technique were relatively stable in vitro and in vivo, showed little alteration in function, and have potential as tumor localizing agents in humans.