A grid-mounted niobium body target for the production of reactive [18F]fluoride

Simulation, design, and testing of a high power collimator for the RDS-112 cyclotron

A high power [F-18] fluoride target package for the RDS-112 cyclotron has been designed, tested, and commercially deployed. The upgrade includes the CF-1000 target, a 1.3kW water target with an established commercial history on RDS-111/Eclipse cyclotrons, and a redesigned collimator with improved heat rejection capabilities. Conjugate heat transfer analyses were employed to both evaluate the existing collimator capabilities and design a suitable high current replacement.

Production of iodine-124 and its applications in nuclear medicine

Until recently, iodine-124 was not considered to be an attractive isotope for medical applications owing to its complex radioactive decay scheme, which includes several high-energy gamma rays. However, its unique chemical properties, and convenient half-life of 4.2 days indicated it would be only a matter of time for its frequent application to become a reality. The development of new medical imaging techniques, especially improvements in the technology of positron emission tomography (PET), such as the development of new detectors and signal processing electronics, has opened up new prospects for its application. With the increasing use of PET in medical oncology, pharmacokinetics, and drug metabolism, (124)I-labeled radiopharmaceuticals are now becoming one of the most useful tools for PET imaging, and owing to the convenient half-life of I-124, they can be used in PET scanners far away from the radionuclide production site. Thus far, the limited availability of this radionuclide has been an impediment to its wider application in clinical use. For example, sodium [(124)I]-iodide is potentially useful for diagnosis and dosimetry in thyroid disease and [(124)I]-M-iodobenzylguanidine ([(124)I]-MIBG) has enormous potential for use in cardiovascular imaging, diagnosis, and dosimetry of malignant diseases such as neuroblastoma, paraganglioma, pheochromocytoma, and carcinoids. However, despite that potential, both are still not widely used. This is a typical scenario of a rising new star among the new PET tracers.

Design and evaluation of the tandem target for a simultaneous production of [11C]CH4 and [18F]-fluoride

The tandem target for a simultaneous production of [11C]CH4 and [(18)F]-fluoride has been designed and evaluated. A separate recovery system has been applied for a simultaneous collection of [11C]CH4 and [(18)F]-fluoride after a bombardment. The [11C]CH4 target was placed in front, and the [18F]-fluoride target was posted successively. An aluminum grid was employed between the two target cavities to improve the burst pressure of the titanium foil during an irradiation. It was demonstrated that a useful amount of [11C]CH4 and [18F]-fluoride can be produced simultaneously by this newly designed system.