Evaluation of conformationally rigid ligands for the prostate specific membran antigen

One of the major challenges in current cancer therapy is the sensitive detection of small tumours. None of the known methods is sufficiently precise for high resolution cancer imaging. In this context, cancer specific receptors, which are over expressed ideally on the surface of cancer cells, have attracted considerable attention as tumour markers. If conjugated to contrast reagents or dyes, ligands for cancer specific receptors, can guide marker moieties to a tumour site and allow the sensitive detection of cancer.
Prostate cancer accounts for most cancer deaths in western industrialized countries. It has been found that about 30 % of all men above the age of 50 carry at least a latent prostate tumour (Robert Koch Institute). In this context, the sensitive detection of prostate tumours for early diagnosis or surgery of the disease is an unresolved problem.

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