Radiopharmacy in Africa: current status and future directions.

This report is a summary of the first SRS-Africa meeting that was held virtually on the 15th of October 2021, to gain information on the status of radiopharmaceutical sciences in Africa. Registration data included information on participants' qualifications and field of work. An independent survey performed in Africa prior to the meeting elicited details of available staff in different countries, facilities and equipment, radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals used, research undertaken and difficulties experienced. We present here a brief overview of this meeting's topics of discussion, including ongoing research, gaps and challenges, and local opportunities.

An enzymeimmunoassay method for thyroxine determination in serum samples.

Here we describe an enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) for thyroxine (T4) in serum, whose performance is comparable to that of a sensitive T4 radioimmunoassay (RIA). In this assay, specific T4 antibody adsorbed on polystyrene beads is used along with T4-horseradishperoxidase as the tracer and omicron-phenylenediamine as chromogen. Several samples were analysed both by this T4 EIA and by using a commercial RIA kit for T4. The results correlate well with a correlation coefficient r = 0.9 and slope = 0.93 (n = 50).

The possibility of a fully automated procedure for radiosynthesis of fluorine-18-labeled fluoromisonidazole using a simplified single, neutral alumina column purification procedure.

A novel fully automated radiosynthesis procedure for [(18)F]Fluoromisonidazole using a simple alumina cartridge-column for purification instead of conventionally used semi-preparative HPLC was developed. [(18)F]FMISO was prepared via a one-pot, two-step synthesis procedure using a modified nuclear interface synthesis module. Nucleophilic fluorination of the precursor molecule 1-(2'-nitro-1'-imidazolyl)-2-O-tetrahydropyranyl-3-O-toluenesulphonylpropanediol (NITTP) with no-carrier added [(18)F]fluoride followed by hydrolysis of the protecting group with 1M HCl. Purification was carried out using a single neutral alumina cartridge-column instead of semi-preparative HPLC. The maximum overall radiochemical yield obtained was 37.49+/-1.68% with 10mg NITTP (n=3, without any decay correction) and the total synthesis time was 40+/-1 min. The radiochemical purity was greater than 95% and the product was devoid of other chemical impurities including residual aluminum and acetonitrile. The biodistribution study in fibrosarcoma tumor model showed maximum uptake in tumor, 2h post injection. Finally, PET/CT imaging studies in normal healthy rabbit, showed clear uptake in the organs involved in the metabolic process of MISO. No bone uptake was observed excluding the presence of free [(18)F]fluoride. The reported method can be easily adapted in any commercial FDG synthesis module.