High efficiency production and purification of 86Y based on electrochemical separation.

As an intermediate half-life positron emitter (86)Y is an attractive radioisotope for positron emission tomography (PET) studies, particularly for patient specific dosimetry planning of (90)Y-based radiotherapy procedures. It can be conveniently produced by a small-sized cyclotron via the (86)Sr(p,n)(86)Y nuclear reaction. The optimization of the electrochemical separation of (86)Y from the target material and its purification was done by modeling the whole production cycle using (90)Y. The radionuclide was isolated using four electrodes in two electrolytic steps. In the first step two Pt plate anodes and a Pt Winkler cathode were used and the electro-deposition yield was determined in constant current mode of operation. In addition, the influence of pH on the efficiency of this first step was investigated. The second electrolysis, with Winkler electrode as anode and a Pt wire as cathode, was also performed in constant current mode of operation. The kinetics of recovery of the deposited activity on the Pt wire was investigated in acidic solutions. The optimized electrochemical method was then applied for (86)Y separation and purification. This modified procedure was proved to be faster and simpler than the previously proposed electrochemical techniques and is more convenient for automation of the routine production of (86)Y.

The importance of high specific radioactivity in the performance of 68Ga-labeled peptide.

The use of (68)Ga-labeled peptides in diagnosis, dosimetry, therapy planning and follow-up of response to chemo- and radiotherapy requires accurate quantification of tracer binding characteristics in vivo, which may be influenced by the specific radioactivity (SRA) of the tracer. Systematic study of the complexation reaction of DOTA-D-Phe(1)-Tyr(3)-Octreotide (DOTATOC, where DOTA is the chelator 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) with (67)Ga, (68)Ga, (69,71)Ga and in the presence of competing metal cations [Al(III), Fe(III), In(III)] was performed using conventional and microwave heating techniques and assessed by mass spectrometry. Saturation binding of (68)Ga-DOTATOC to Rhesus monkey brain slices was performed using frozen section autoradiography. High SRA was necessary in order to characterize the saturation binding of (68)Ga-DOTATOC to somatostatin receptors in Rhesus monkey brain sections. The complexation of Ga(III) with DOTATOC suggested more favorable formation compared to Fe(III) and In(III). The microwave heating mode might influence the selectivity of the complexation reaction, especially when comparing the behavior of Ga(III) and In(III). Al(III) was less critical with contamination and could be tolerated up to a concentration equal to that of the peptide bioconjugate. The SRA of (67)Ga-DOTATOC and (67)Ga-NODAGA-TATE (NODAGA-Tyr(3)-Octreotate, where NODAGA is 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1-glutaric acid-4,7-diacetic acid) exceeded literature data by a factor of 7 and 5-15, respectively. High SRA was critical for providing sufficient contrast and accurate quantification of PET images. Microwave heating mode apart from the acceleration of the labeling reaction also improved the selectivity of the complexation reaction towards gallium. Fe(III) was shown to be the most critical competitor deteriorating the (68)Ga-labeling efficiency.

Antiproton radiotherapy.

Antiprotons are interesting as a possible future modality in radiation therapy for the following reasons: When fast antiprotons penetrate matter, protons and antiprotons have near identical stopping powers and exhibit equal radiobiology well before the Bragg-peak. But when the antiprotons come to rest at the Bragg-peak, they annihilate, releasing almost 2 GeV per antiproton-proton annihilation. Most of this energy is carried away by energetic pions, but the Bragg-peak of the antiprotons is still locally augmented with approximately 20-30 MeV per antiproton. Apart from the gain in physical dose, an increased relative biological effect also has been observed, which can be explained by the fact that some of the secondary particles from the antiproton annihilation exhibit high-LET properties. Finally, the weakly interacting energetic pions, which are leaving the target volume, may provide a real time feedback on the exact location of the annihilation peak. We have performed dosimetry experiments and investigated the radiobiological properties using the antiproton beam available at CERN, Geneva. Dosimetry experiments were carried out with ionization chambers, alanine pellets and radiochromic film. Radiobiological experiments were done with V79 WNRE Chinese hamster cells. The radiobiological experiments were repeated with protons and carbon ions at TRIUMF and GSI, respectively, for comparison. Several Monte Carlo particle transport codes were investigated and compared with our experimental data obtained at CERN. The code that matched our data best was used to generate a set of depth dose data at several energies, including secondary particle-energy spectra. This can be used as base data for a treatment planning software such as TRiP. Our findings from the CERN experiments indicate that the biological effect of antiprotons in the plateau region may be reduced by a factor of 4 for the same biological target dose in a spread-out Bragg-peak, when comparing with protons. The extension of TRiP to handle antiproton beams is currently in progress. This will enable us to perform planning studies, where the potential clinical consequences can be examined, and compared to those of other beam modalities such as protons, carbon ions, or IMRT photons.

The biological effectiveness of antiproton irradiation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Antiprotons travel through tissue in a manner similar to that for protons until they reach the end of their range where they annihilate and deposit additional energy. This makes them potentially interesting for radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to conduct the first ever measurements of the biological effectiveness of antiprotons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: V79 cells were suspended in a semi-solid matrix and irradiated with 46.7MeV antiprotons, 48MeV protons, or (60)Co gamma-rays. Clonogenic survival was determined as a function of depth along the particle beams. Dose and particle fluence response relationships were constructed from data in the plateau and Bragg peak regions of the beams and used to assess the biological effectiveness. RESULTS: Due to uncertainties in antiproton dosimetry we defined a new term, called the biologically effective dose ratio (BEDR), which compares the response in a minimally spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) to that in the plateau as a function of particle fluence. This value was approximately 3.75 times larger for antiprotons than for protons. This increase arises due to the increased dose deposited in the Bragg peak by annihilation and because this dose has a higher relative biological effectiveness (RBE). CONCLUSION: We have produced the first measurements of the biological consequences of antiproton irradiation. These data substantiate theoretical predictions of the biological effects of antiproton annihilation within the Bragg peak, and suggest antiprotons warrant further investigation.

Direct evidence of the temperature dependence of Gd-BOPTA transport in the intact rat liver.

The aim was to study the influence of temperature on the transport of the hepatobiliary contrast agent Gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA). Rat livers were isolated and perfused with Gd-BOPTA at 12, 25, 30, 36 and 38 degrees C. After the perfusion period, biopsies were collected and the MR signal intensity was measured. Uptake and biliary excretion were quantified with radiolabeled Gd-BOPTA. MR signal intensity decreased with temperature of perfusion. This phenomenon was appropriately quantified with 153Gd and 153Sm labeling, in contrast to 67Ga.

Comparison of the radiotoxicity of two alpha-particle-emitting immunoconjugates, terbium-149 and bismuth-213, directed against a tumor-specific, exon 9 deleted (d9) E-cadherin adhesion protein.

We investigated the effects of the alpha-particle emitters (149)Tb and (213)Bi coupled to a tumor-specific antibody targeting the mutated delta 9 E-cadherin (d9 E-Cad) on single cells and cell pellets. The d9 mutation of the adhesion molecule E-cadherin is found in 10% of diffuse-type gastric cancers and is not expressed in normal tissue. Human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-435S) transfected with d9 E-Cad or the wild-type E-cadherin gene were used to study the effects of anti-d9 E-Cad MAb coupled to (149)Tb and (213)Bi ((149)Tb-d9 MAb and (213)Bi-d9 MAb). The density of binding sites determined on transfected MDA tumor cells by Scatchard analysis and flow cytometry varied from 4 x 10(4) to 6 x 10(4) antigens per cell. Internalization of radioimmunoconjugates by cells expressing d9 E-Cad was less than 10% of bound antibody within 240 min. The effect of the radioimmunoconjugates on cell suspensions and cell pellets was quantified by [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, and the dose to the cell nuclei was determined using microdosimetric calculations. (149)Tb and (213)Bi immunoconjugates affected cells in suspension similarly. Significant differences in the proliferation capacity of d9 E-cadherin- and wild-type E-cadherin-expressing cells were observed at activity concentrations around 185 kBq/ml, corresponding to antibody concentrations between 200 ng/ml and 1000 ng/ml. Proliferation after incubation with (213)Bi-d9 MAb was 50% greater in pelleted wild-type E-Cad-expressing cells compared to wild-type E-Cad cells in suspension. In contrast, the proliferation of pelleted d9 E-Cad cells was similar to that of d9 E-Cad cells in suspension. For (149)Tb-d9 MAb, no significant difference was found between pelleted cells and cells in suspension for low activity concentrations. However, at high activity concentrations, (149)Tb-d9 MAb had only a small effect on pelleted cells. These in vitro studies demonstrate different effects of (149)Tb and (213)Bi conjugated to a tumor-specific antibody toward single cells and tumor cell pellets. Microdosimetric simulation of single cell survival after alpha-particle irradiation modeled the experimental results with reasonable accuracy.