Lanthanide Radionuclide Production

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Major advances have recently been made in the development of monoclonal antibody-based radioimmunotherapy cancer treatments, and several of these next generation antibody treatments have demonstrated good efficacy in human trials and are currently awaiting FDA approval. With this new generation of highly engineered monoclonal antibodies comes the need for a wider array of commercially available radionuclides. Unfortunately, methods for producing the next generation of radioisotopes has not kept pace. This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop an improved method for the production of radionuclides used in radiopharmaceuticals. The method will allow the economical production of a wide array of lanthanide radionuclides which can subsequently be employed for radioimmunotherapy treatments. During Phase I, a new type of Szilard-Chalmers process using pecialized lanthanide chelates will be developed and tested. The new lanthanide chelate will be synthesized in bulk quantities and then the entire production process will be tested using neutron activation at the Missouri University Research Reactor. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Current radioisotope production relies on isotopically purified starting materials that must be irradiated at the highest flux (most expensive) position in the central core of the nuclear reactor. If successful, TDA's new Szilard-Chalmers process is expected to lower production costs by allowing the use of non-isotopically purified starting materials that are neutron irradiated at the more cost effective low .nux positions in the reactor.