Background: Tissue hypoxia is a pathological condition characterized by reducing oxygen supply. Hypoxia is a hallmark of tumor environment and is commonly observed in many solid tumors. Non-invasive imaging techniques like positron emission tomography (PET) are at the forefront of detecting and monitoring tissue hypoxia changes in vivo. Results: We have developed a novel 18F-labeled radiotracer for hypoxia PET imaging based on cytotoxic agent benznidazole. Radiotracer N-(4-[18F]fluorobenzyl)-2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)acetamide ([18F]FBNA) was synthesized through acylation chemistry with readily available 4-[18F]fluorobenzyl amine. Radiotracer [18F]FBNA was obtained in good radiochemical yields (47.4????????5.3%) and high radiochemical purity (>???95%). The total synthesis time was 100 min, including HPLC purification and the molar activity was greater than 40 GBq/??mol. Radiotracer [18F]FBNA was stable in saline and mouse serum for 6 h. [18F]FBNA partition coefficient (logP???=???1.05) was found to be more lipophilic than [18F]EF-5 (logP???=???0.75), [18F]FMISO (logP???=???0.4) and [18F]FAZA (logP???=????????????0.4). In vitro studies showed that [18F]FBNA accumulates in gastric cancer cell lines AGS and MKN45 under hypoxic conditions. Conclusions: Hence, [18F]FBNA represents a novel and easy-to-prepare PET radioligand for imaging hypoxia.Funda????o de Amparo ?? Pesquisa do Estado de S??o Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient??fico e Tecnol??gico (CNPq)FAPESP: 12/06875-6CNPq: 142180/2015-7