Two major treatment strategies employed in fighting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The choice of strategy is based on heterogeneous biomarkers expressed by the lung tumor tissue. A major challenge for molecular testing of these biomarkers is the insufficiency of biopsy specimens from patients with advanced NSCLC. Disclosed herein is a method for predicting a response to immune-checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. The method generally involves imaging the subject with positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose integrated with computed tomography to produce .sup.18F-FDG PET/CT images of the tumor, analyzing the images using PET, CT, and Kulbek Leibler Divergence statistical (KLD) features or, alternatively using deep leaning such as Neural Networks; generating a radiomic signature from the identified features or Network characteristics; and computing a radiomic score based on the radiomic signature that is predictive of responsiveness to ICIs or TKIs.

The present invention provides a system for the production of a radiopharmaceutical including a radiosynthesis apparatus and a disposable cassette. The system of the invention includes a device that enables a position on the cassette to be freed for inclusion of an additional reagent vial. With the system of the invention a broader range of radiochemical syntheses can be envisaged using the cassette.

The present disclosure provides oligomeric compounds. The present disclosure provides metabolically stable linkers that do not rapidly degrade in vivo. In certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides metabolically stable linkers for use in attaching a conjugate group to an oligonucleotide.

Methods and compositions for tissue regeneration of the present invention include a biocompatible porous composite of a decellularized tissue and an aptamer-functionalized hydrogel, wherein the aptamers of the aptamer-functionalized hydrogel specifically and reversibly bind to an active agent.

Provided are compounds and compositions for targeting macrophages and other mannose-binding c-type lectin receptor high expressing cells and methods of treatment and diagnosis using such compounds and compositions.

Kits for the preparation, synthesis, and delivery of compositions comprising a conjugate of a nucleoside analog, a chelator, and a label for use as imaging and therapeutic agents. The kits, as well as methods for their use, may be used in diagnosing, treating, or monitoring the progression of infectious diseases and/or symptoms or complications resulting from infection.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide compositions comprising compounds useful to make radiotracers for positron emission tomography imaging, as well as methods for making and using these compositions.

Uptake of hypoxia-sensitive PET tracers is dependent on tissue transport properties, specifically, distribution volume. Variability in tissue transport properties reduces the sensitivity of static PET imaging to hypoxia. When tissue transport (v.sub.d) effects are substantial, correlations between the two methods of determining hypoxic fractions are greatly reduced—that is, trapping rates k.sub.3 are only modestly correlated with tumour-to-blood ratio (TBR). In other words, the usefulness of dynamic- and static-PET based hypoxia surrogates, trapping rate k.sub.3 and TBR, in determining hypoxic fractions is reduced in regions where diffusive equilibrium is achieved slowly. A process is provided for quantifying hypoxic fractions using a novel biomarker for hypoxia, hypoxia-sensitive tracer binding rate k.sub.b, based on PET imaging data. The same formalism can be applied to model the kinetics of non-binding CT and MT contrast agents, giving histopathological information about the imaged tissue.

The present invention relates to an aptamer or a functional fragment thereof, capable of specifically binding to PD-L1 or capable of inhibiting interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 by specifically binding to PD-L1, which includes a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO. 1, 2, 10 or 18.

A composition for imaging a tumorous disease region includes a fluorescence- or radioactive isotope-labeled ERBB2 aptamer, wherein the ERBB2 aptamer labeled with a radioactive isotope or a fluorescent dye is used to image the tumorous disease region in vivo. The composition may include a labeled hybridized aptamer comprising an aptamer represented as formula 1 hybridized with a labeled-ODN represented as formula 2.