# Development of novel CXCR5 PET Imaging probe for Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma

> **NIH NIH R21** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $430,685

## Abstract

Abstract
 Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare and aggressive type of peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
The majority of patients with AITL are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and have poor prognosis, even with
aggressive chemotherapies. Because there has been no improvement in the survival rate of AITL patients over
the past two decades ever since the disease was first characterized, there is an urgent need for the discovery
and development of an effective treatment. A novel therapeutic target for AITL is the CXCR5-CXCL13
signaling axis, which plays a prominent role in AITL lymphomagenesis, proliferation, and metastasis. By
antagonizing CXCR5, Dr. Lolis (PhD, Professor of Pharmacology) and Dr. Foss (MD, Professor of Medicine
and of Dermatology) are developing novel therapeutics to treat AITL. They have identified a promising CXCR5
antagonist with decent potency, toxicity profile, and pharmacokinetics for clinical trial in AITL patients. This
project is to develop a CXCR5-specific Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging probe to explore the
pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the experimental drug. Our research team comprises
investigators from Yale PET Center and Yale Cancer Center, and will harness the unique research resources
in these centers. Successful completion of this project will set the stage for the clinical trial of the experimental
CXCR5 antagonist in AITL patients with the right dose range. Furthermore, as CXCR5 is overexpressed in
other types of cancers, i.e., B-cell lymphoma, other T follicular helper cell-mediated lymphomas, prostate
cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and non-small cell lung carcinoma, the CXCR5 PET imaging probe will
also be instrumental in the study of these human diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10044485
- **Project number:** 1R21CA252587-01
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Zhengxin Cai
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $430,685
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-08 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10044485

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10044485, Development of novel CXCR5 PET Imaging probe for Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma (1R21CA252587-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10044485. Licensed CC0.

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