Design and development of a semi-automated solid target assembly for the indigenous production of medical radioisotopes in the PETrace-800 cyclotron.

Abstract

BackgroundMolecular imaging enables the non-invasive visualization of physiological processes at the cellular and molecular levels and is central to diagnostic nuclear medicine. Among clinically important theranostic radionuclides, ⁶⁴Cu and ¹¹¹In are of particular interest due to their favourable decay characteristics and applications in radiopharmaceutical development. Their cyclotron production via the ⁶⁴Ni(p,n)⁶⁴Cu and ¹¹¹Cd(p,n)¹¹¹In reactions generally require irradiation of enriched solid targets to achieve adequate yields. Although liquid target approaches have been explored, solid targets remain preferable for radiometal production due to higher yields and more efficient utilization of enriched target material.ResultsTo enhance the capability of the two-decade old commercial medical cyclotron (PETtrace 800) at the Radiation Medicine Centre (RMC), originally configured only for liquid and gaseous targets, an indigenously designed and fabricated solid target irradiation assembly was developed and integrated into the Medical Cyclotron Facility (MCF). This work demonstrates the successful routine production of pharmaceutical-grade ⁶⁴Cu and ¹¹¹In, achieving yields of 74 MBq µA- 1 h- 1 and 4.88 MBq µA- 1 h- 1, respectively.ConclusionThis development significantly broadens the functional scope of the existing cyclotron infrastructure and establishes a dependable local production pathway for clinically important theranostic radionuclides.