Optimized production, purification, and radiolabeling of the 203Pb/212Pb theranostic pair for nuclear medicine.

TRIUMF is one of the only laboratories in the world able to produce both lead-203 (203Pb, t1/2 = 51.9 h) and 212Pb (t1/2 = 10.6 h) onsite via its 13 and 500 MeV cyclotrons, respectively. Together, 203Pb and 212Pb form an element-equivalent theranostic pair that potentiate image-guided, personalized cancer treatment, using 203Pb as a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) source, and 212Pb for targeted alpha therapy. In this study, improvements to 203Pb production were accomplished by manufacturing electroplated, silver-backed thallium (Tl) targets to improve target thermal stability, which allow for higher currents during irradiation. We implemented a novel, two-column purification method that employs selective Tl precipitation (203Pb only) alongside extraction and anion exchange chromatography to elute high specific activity and chemical purity 203/212Pb in a minimal volume of dilute acid, without the need for evaporation. Optimization of the purification method translated to improvements in radiolabeling yields and apparent molar activity of lead chelators TCMC (S-2-(4-Isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraaza-1,4,7,10-tetra(2-carbamoylmethyl)cyclododecane) and Crypt-OH, a derivative of a [2.2.2]-cryptand.

Determination of distribution coefficients of mercury and gold on selected extraction chromatographic resins - towards an improved separation method of mercury-197 from proton-irradiated gold targets.

Radioisotope mercury-197g (197gHg, half-life: 64.14 h) along with its metastable isomer (197mHg, half-life: 23.8 h) are potential candidates for targeted Meitner-Auger electron therapy due to their suitable decay properties. Their production can be achieved via proton irradiation of a natural gold target, but the number of studies surrounding their separation from an irradiated gold target is limited. This study focuses on the determination of distribution coefficients (Kd) of gold (III) and mercury (II) on seven extraction chromatographic resins. Mercury Kd were measured by means of radiotracers and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP_MS); values obtained from the two methods were generally in good agreement. These results can provide insight on Hg and Au chemistry and aid in the design of improved separation system(s).

Multi-curie production of gallium-68 on a biomedical cyclotron and automated radiolabelling of PSMA-11 and DOTATATE.

BACKGROUND: With increasing clinical demand for gallium-68, commercial germanium-68/gallium-68 ([68Ge]Ge/[68Ga]Ga) generators are incapable of supplying sufficient amounts of the short-lived daughter isotope. In this study, we demonstrate a high-yield, automated method for producing multi-Curie levels of [68Ga]GaCl3 from solid zinc-68 targets and subsequent labelling to produce clinical-grade [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [68Ga]Ga-DOTATATE. RESULTS: Enriched zinc-68 targets were irradiated at up to 80 µA with 13 MeV protons for 120 min; repeatedly producing up to 194 GBq (5.24 Ci) of purified gallium-68 in the form of [68Ga]GaCl3 at the end of purification (EOP) from an expected > 370 GBq (> 10 Ci) at end of bombardment. A fully automated dissolution/separation process was completed in 35 min. Isolated product was analysed according to the Ph. Eur. monograph for accelerator produced [68Ga]GaCl3 and found to comply with all specifications. In every instance, the radiochemical purity exceeded 99.9% and importantly, the radionuclidic purity was sufficient to allow for a shelf-life of up to 7 h based on this metric alone. Fully automated production of up to 72.2 GBq [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 was performed, providing a product with high radiochemical purity (> 98.2%) and very high apparent molar activities of up to 722 MBq/nmol. Further, manual radiolabelling of up to 3.2 GBq DOTATATE was performed in high yields (> 95%) and with apparent molar activities (9-25 MBq/nmol) sufficient for clinical use. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a high-yielding, automated method for the production of very high amounts of [68Ga]GaCl3, sufficient to supply proximal radiopharmacies. The reported method led to record-high purified gallium-68 activities (194 GBq at end of purification) and subsequent labelling of PSMA-11 and DOTATATE. The process was highly automated from irradiation through to formulation of the product, and as such comprised a high level of radiation protection. The quality control results obtained for both [68Ga]GaCl3 for radiolabelling and [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 are promising for clinical use.

Synthesis of DOTA-pyridine chelates for 64Cu coordination and radiolabeling of αMSH peptide.

BACKGROUND: 64Cu is one of the few radioisotopes that can be used for both imaging and therapy, enabling theranostics with identical chemical composition. Development of stable chelators is essential to harness the potential of this isotope, challenged by the presence of endogenous copper chelators. Pyridyl type chelators show good coordination ability with copper, prompting the present study of a series of chelates DOTA-xPy (x = 1-4) that sequentially substitute carboxyl moieties with pyridyl moieties on a DOTA backbone. RESULTS: We found that the presence of pyridyl groups significantly increases 64Cu labeling conversion yield, with DOTA-2Py, -3Py and -4Py quantitatively complexing 64Cu at room temperature within 5 min (1 × 10- 4 M). [64Cu]Cu-DOTA-xPy (x = 2-4) exhibited good stability in human serum up to 24 h. When challenged with 1000 eq. of NOTA, no transmetallation was observed for all three 64Cu complexes. DOTA-xPy (x = 1-3) were conjugated to a cyclized α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH) peptide by using one of the pendant carboxyl groups as a bifunctional handle. [64Cu]Cu-DOTA-xPy-αMSH retained good serum stability (> 96% in 24 h) and showed high binding affinity (Ki = 2.1-3.7 nM) towards the melanocortin 1 receptor. CONCLUSION: DOTA-xPy (x = 1-3) are promising chelators for 64Cu. Further in vivo evaluation is necessary to assess the full potential of these chelators as a tool to enable further theranostic radiopharmaceutical development.

232Th-Spallation-Produced 225Ac with Reduced 227Ac Content.

Recent clinical results have demonstrated remarkable treatment responses of late-stage cancer patients when treated with alpha-emitting radionuclides such as actinium-225 (225Ac). The resulting intense global effort to produce greater quantities of 225Ac has triggered a number of emerging technologies to produce this rare, yet important, radionuclide. Accelerator-based methods for increasing global 225Ac production capacity have focused on the high energy (>100 MeV) proton irradiation of thorium, despite the coproduction of the undesirable 227Ac byproduct at 0.1-0.3% of the 225Ac activity. We at TRIUMF have developed a process for the production of a 225Ra/225Ac generator from irradiated thorium that results in an 225Ac product with reduced 227Ac content. 225Ac was separated from irradiated thorium and coproduced radioactive spallation and fission products using a thorium peroxide precipitation method followed by cation exchange and extraction chromatography. Stable and radioactive tracer studies demonstrated the ability of this method to separate Ac from most other elements, providing a directly produced Ac product with measured 227Ac content of (0.15 ± 0.04)%. A second, indirectly produced Ac product with 227Ac content of <7.5 × 10-5% is obtained by repeating the final extraction chromatography step with the 225Ra-containing fraction. The 225Ra-derived 225Ac showed similar or improved quality compared to the initial, directly produced 225Ac product in terms of chemical purity and radiolabeling capability, the latter of which was comparable with other 225Ac sources reported in the literature.

Toward 18 F-Labeled Theranostics: A Single Agent that Can Be Labeled with 18 F, 64 Cu, or 177 Lu.

We report a single-molecule radiotracer that can be labeled independently with 18 F-fluoride or radiometals (64 Cu, 177 Lu) in a single step. A prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting ligand, armed with both an organotrifluoroborate and a metal-chelator (DOTA), was designed to optionally afford 18 F-, 64 Cu- or 177 Lu-labeled products that were injected into mice bearing prostate cancer (LNCaP) xenografts. PET/CT images and ex vivo biodistribution data show high, specific tumor uptake irrespective of which radionuclide is used, thereby demonstrating a new approach to combining, in a single molecule, 18 F-labeling capabilities for PET imaging with radiometalation for potential imaging and therapeutic applications.

Evaluation of H2CHXdedpa, H2dedpa- and H2CHXdedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI ligands for (64)Cu(ii) radiopharmaceuticals.

The chiral acyclic "pa" ligand (pa = picolinic acid) H2CHXdedpa (N4O2) and two NI-containing dedpa analogues (H2CHXdedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI, H2dedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI, NI = nitroimidazole) were studied as chelators for copper radiopharmaceuticals (CHX = cyclohexyl, H2dedpa = 1,2-[[carboxypyridin-2-yl]methylamino]ethane). The hexadentate ligand H2CHXdedpa was previously established as a superb system for (67/68)Ga radiochemistry. The solid state X-ray crystal structures of [Cu(CHXdedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI)] and [Cu(dedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI)] reveal the predicted hexadentate, distorted octahedral binding of the copper(ii) ion. Cyclic voltammetry of [Cu(dedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI)] shows that there is one reversible couple associated with the NI redox, and one irreversible but reproducible couple attributed to the Cu(ii)/Cu(i) redox cycle. Quantitative radiolabeling (>99%) of CHXdedpa(2-) and (dedpa-N,N'-propyl-2-NI)(2-) with (64)Cu was achieved under fast and efficient labeling conditions (10 min, RT, 0.5 M sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.5) at ligand concentrations as low as 10(-6) M. In vitro kinetic inertness studies of the (64)Cu labelled complexes were studied in human serum at 37 °C over 24 hours; [(64)Cu(CHXdedpa)] was found to be 98% stable compared to previously investigated [(64)Cu(dedpa)] which was only 72% intact after 24 hours.

Production of Y-86 and other radiometals for research purposes using a solution target system.

INTRODUCTION: Diagnostic radiometals are typically obtained from cyclotrons by irradiating solid targets or from radioisotope generators. These methods have the advantage of high production yields, but require additional solid target handling infrastructure that is not readily available to many cyclotron facilities. Herein, we provide an overview of our results regarding the production of various positron-emitting radiometals using a liquid target system installed on a 13 MeV cyclotron at TRIUMF. Details about the production, purification and quality control of (89)Zr, (68)Ga and for the first time (86)Y are discussed. METHODS: Aqueous solutions containing 1.35-1.65 g/mL of natural-abundance zinc nitrate, yttrium nitrate, and strontium nitrate were irradiated on a 13 MeV cyclotron using a standard liquid target. Different target body and foil materials were investigated for corrosion. Production yields were calculated using theoretical cross-sections from the EMPIRE code and compared with experimental results. The radioisotopes were extracted from irradiated target material using solid phase extraction methods adapted from previously reported methods, and used for radiolabelling experiments. RESULTS: We demonstrated production quantities that are sufficient for chemical and biological studies for three separate radiometals, (89)Zr (Asat = 360 MBq/µA and yield = 3.17 MBq/µA), (86)Y (Asat = 31 MBq/µA and yield = 1.44 MBq/µA), and (68)Ga (Asat = 141 MBq/µA and yield = 64 MBq/µA) from one hour long irradiations on a typical medical cyclotron. (68)Ga yields were sufficient for potential clinical applications. In order to avoid corrosion of the target body and target foil, nitrate solutions were chosen as well as niobium as target-body material. An automatic loading system enabled up to three production runs per day. The separation efficiency ranged from 82 to 99%. Subsequently, (68)Ga and (86)Y were successfully used to radiolabel DOTA-based chelators while deferoxamine was used to coordinate (89)Zr.

Cross-linked polyethylene glycol beads to separate 99mTc-pertechnetate from low-specific-activity molybdenum.

UNLABELLED: We report a kit-based approach for the purification of sodium pertechnetate ((99m)TcO4 (-)) from solutions with high MoO4 (2-) content. METHODS: Cross-linked polyethylene glycol resins (ChemMatrix) were used to separate (99m)Tc and molybdenum in 4N NaOH. The resins were loaded at various flow rates and eluted with water to release (99m)Tc. The (99m)Tc solution was passed through a cation exchange resin and an alumina cartridge, followed by saline elution. This process was tested with cyclotron-produced (99m)Tc using an automated system and disposable kits. RESULTS: Optimal results were obtained by loading 500 mg of resin at flow rates of up to 3.1 mL/min, with quantitative extraction of (99m)Tc from the molybdate solution and complete release of (99m)Tc after elution with water. The automated system was highly efficient at isolating Na(99m)TcO4 within minutes, with a recovery rate of 92.7% ± 1.1% (mean ± SD) using cyclotron-produced (99m)Tc. CONCLUSION: ChemMatrix resins were highly effective at separating (99m)TcO4 (-) from molybdate solutions.

Implementation of Multi-Curie Production of (99m)Tc by Conventional Medical Cyclotrons.

UNLABELLED: (99m)Tc is currently produced by an aging fleet of nuclear reactors, which require enriched uranium and generate nuclear waste. We report the development of a comprehensive solution to produce (99m)Tc in sufficient quantities to supply a large urban area using a single medical cyclotron. METHODS: A new target system was designed for (99m)Tc production. Target plates made of tantalum were coated with a layer of (100)Mo by electrophoretic deposition followed by high-temperature sintering. The targets were irradiated with 18-MeV protons for up to 6 h, using a medical cyclotron. The targets were automatically retrieved and dissolved in 30% H2O2. (99m)Tc was purified by solid-phase extraction or biphasic exchange chromatography. RESULTS: Between 1.04 and 1.5 g of (100)Mo were deposited on the tantalum plates. After high-temperature sintering, the (100)Mo formed a hard, adherent layer that bonded well with the backing surface. The targets were irradiated for 1-6.9 h at 20-240 µA of proton beam current, producing up to 348 GBq (9.4 Ci) of (99m)Tc. The resulting pertechnetate passed all standard quality control procedures and could be used to reconstitute typical anionic, cationic, and neutral technetium radiopharmaceutical kits. CONCLUSION: The direct production of (99m)Tc via proton bombardment of (100)Mo can be practically achieved in high yields using conventional medical cyclotrons. With some modifications of existing cyclotron infrastructure, this approach can be used to implement a decentralized medical isotope production model. This method eliminates the need for enriched uranium and the radioactive waste associated with the processing of uranium targets.

(44g)Sc production using a water target on a 13MeV cyclotron.

INTRODUCTION: Access to promising radiometals as isotopes for novel molecular imaging agents requires that they are routinely available and inexpensive to obtain. Proximity to a cyclotron center outfitted with solid target hardware, or to an isotope generator for the metal of interest is necessary, both of which can introduce significant hurdles in development of less common isotopes. Herein, we describe the production of 44Sc (t1/2=3.97 h, Eavg,ß⁺=1.47MeV, branching ratio=94.27%) in a solution target and an automated loading system which allows a quick turn-around between different radiometallic isotopes and therefore greatly improves their availability for tracer development. Experimental yields are compared to theoretical calculations. METHODS: Solutions containing a high concentration (1.44-1.55g/mL) of natural-abundance calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (Ca(NO3)2·4 H2O) were irradiated on a 13MeV proton-beam cyclotron using a standard liquid target. (44g)Sc was produced via the 44Ca(p,n)(44g)Sc reaction. RESULTS: (44g)Sc was produced for the first time in a solution target with yields sufficient for early radiochemical studies. Saturation yields of up to 4.6 ± 0.3 MBq/µA were achieved using 7.6 ± 0.3 µA proton beams for 60.0 ± 0.2 minutes (number of runs n=3). Experimental data and calculation results are in fair agreement. Scandium was isolated from the target mixture via solid-phase extraction with 88 ± 6% (n=5) efficiency and successfully used for radiolabelling experiments. The demonstration of the production of 44Sc in a liquid target greatly improves its availability for tracer development.

PET imaging of apoptosis with (64)Cu-labeled streptavidin following pretargeting of phosphatidylserine with biotinylated annexin-V.

PURPOSE: In vivo detection of apoptosis is a diagnostic tool with potential clinical applications in cardiology and oncology. Radiolabeled annexin-V (anxV) is an ideal probe for in vivo apoptosis detection owing to its strong affinity for phosphatidylserine (PS), the molecular flag on the surface of apoptotic cells. Most clinical studies performed to visualize apoptosis have used (99m)Tc-anxV; however, its poor distribution profile often compromises image quality. In this study, tumor apoptosis after therapy was visualized by positron emission tomography (PET) using (64)Cu-labeled streptavidin (SAv), following pre-targeting of apoptotic cells with biotinylated anxV. METHODS: Apoptosis was induced in tumor-bearing mice by photodynamic therapy (PDT) using phthalocyanine dyes as photosensitizers, and red light. After PDT, mice were injected i.v. with biotinylated anxV, followed 2 h later by an avidin chase, and after another 2 h with (64)Cu-DOTA-biotin-SAv. PET images were subsequently recorded up to 13 h after PDT. RESULTS: PET images delineated apoptosis in treated tumors as early as 30 min after (64)Cu-DOTA-biotin-SAv administration, with tumor-to-background ratios reaching a maximum at 3 h post-injection, i.e., 7 h post-PDT. Omitting the administration of biotinylated anxV or the avidin chase failed to provide a clear PET image, confirming that all three steps are essential for adequate visualization of apoptosis. Furthermore, differences in action mechanisms between photosensitizers that target tumor cells directly or via initial vascular stasis were clearly recognized through differences in tracer uptake patterns detecting early or delayed apoptosis. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the efficacy of a three-step (64)Cu pretargeting procedure for PET imaging of apoptosis. Our data also confirm the usefulness of small animal PET to evaluate cancer treatment protocols.