Separation and purification unit for Tc-99m produced by low energy cyclotrons

总体目标是开发一种商业系统，用于通过使用医用回旋加速器在高电流下用质子束（15 MeV）照射钼-100的高功率固体靶来生产医学成像同位素Tc-99 m。目前提案的目标是设计和建造整个商业系统的一个组成部分：一个生产高锝酸钠（Na 99 mTcO 4）的自动化“交钥匙”同位素分离和纯化装置。 本提案的目的是将最近的实验室规模技术转化为商业产品。 设计人员面临的挑战是处理大量半衰期短（6.01小时）的放射性化学品，这需要特别小心。此外，包含靶的钼-100是昂贵的，因此必须以有效的方式进行加工，以提高生产率，并使损失和加工时间最小化。该过程必须在30分钟内完成，并且必须回收和再循环至少90%的钼-100。分离和纯化装置将安置在医院和地区药房，并由技术人员常规操作-它需要具有小的“足迹”，并且坚固，易于维护和维修，并且能够提供具有成本效益的Tc-99 m供应。

The overall objective is to develop a commercial system for producing the medical imaging isotope Tc-99m by irradiation of a high power solid target of molybdenum-100 with a proton beam (15 MeV) at high currents using a medical cyclotron. The goal of the current proposal is to design and build one component of the overall commercial system: an automated 'turnkey' isotope separation-and-purification unit to produce sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4). The objective of the present proposal is to convert recent laboratory scale technologies into a commercial product. The challenge for the designers is dealing with the large amounts of short half-life (6.01 h) radioactive chemicals, which require special care. In addition, the molybdenum-100 comprising the target is expensive, so processing must be done in an efficient manner in order to increase the production yield, and minimize losses and processing time. The process must be done in less than 30 min and at least 90% of the molybdenum-100 must be recovered and recycled. The separation-and-purification unit will be housed at hospitals and regional pharmacies and operated by technologists routinely - it needs to have a small 'footprint' and be robust, easy to maintain and service, and be able to provide a cost effective supply of Tc-99m.