A generator-produced gallium-68 radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging of myocardial perfusion.

ABSTRACT

Lipophilic cationic technetium-99m-complexes are widely used for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). However, inherent uncertainties in the supply chain of molybdenum-99, the parent isotope required for manufacturing 99Mo/99mTc generators, intensifies the need for discovery of novel MPI agents incorporating alternative radionuclides. Recently, germanium/gallium (Ge/Ga) generators capable of producing high quality 68Ga, an isotope with excellent emission characteristics for clinical PET imaging, have emerged. Herein, we report a novel 68Ga-complex identified through mechanism-based cell screening that holds promise as a generator-produced radiopharmaceutical for PET MPI.