Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for treating a cancerous disease is provided which includes characterizing a disease by an overexpression of one or more somatostatin receptors, and exposing the one or more somatostatin receptors to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a somatostatin analogue which binds to the one or more somatostatin receptors.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a composition of somatostatin analogues having the general formula: is provided wherein Z may be absent or present and when present is selected from DOTA- and DTPA-based chelators, NOTA-based chelators, carbonyl compounds, hydrazino nicotinamide, N4-chelators, desferrioxamine, NxSy-chelators, optionally complexed or labeled with a radioisotope, tyrosine for halogenation, a fluorescent dye, or biotin. The composition further provides that L may or may not be present and when present is a linker molecule, X1 is glutamic acid or a symmetric or asymmetric diamino acid containing 3 or 4 consecutive C atoms, X2 is a positively charged natural or unnatural amino acid, an arginine mimic, citrulline, or a neutral amino acid, X3 is phenylalanine, Ala-[3-(2-thienyl)], ?-naphthylalanine, or ?-naphthylalanine, X4 is an aromatic amino acid, X5 is threonine or serine, and X6 is phenylalanine, Ala-[3-(2-thienyl)], ?-naphthylalanine, or ?-naphthylalanine.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel somatostatin analogues of the general formula (I) wherein Z may be absent or present and when present is selected from the group consisting of DOTA- and DTPA-based chelators, NOTA-based chelators, cabonyl compounds, hydrazino nicotinamide (hynic), N4-chelators, desferrioxamin, NxSy-chelators, all optionally complexed or labeled with a radioisotope, Tyrosine (Tyr) for halogenation, a fluorescent dye or biotin; L may or may not be present and is a linker molecule; X1 is a symmetric or asyrnmetric diamino acid, containing 3 or 4 consecutive C atoms with a linker to the chelating agent, for example D/L-diamino butyric acid (D/L-Dab) for a more basic character or D/L-Glu for coupling to primary and secondary amino groups; X2 is a positively charged natural or unnatural amino acid or arginine mimic or citrulline, or a neutral amino acid like Asn; X3 is phenylalanine (Phe), Ala-[3-(2-thienyl)] or &agr;-,&bgr;-naphthylalanine; X4 is an aromatic amino acid, optionally h