Lu-177 preparation for radiotherapy application

• Published in: Applied radiation and isotopes Vol. 115; pp. 8 - 12
• Main Authors: Park, Ul Jae, Lee, Jun-Sig, Choi, Kang Hyuk, Nam, Sung Soo, Yu, Kook Hyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2016
• Subjects: Adsorption; Chelate adsorbent; Chelating Agents; Chromatography - methods; HANARO; Humans; Lutetium - isolation & purification; Lutetium - therapeutic use; Lutetium-177; Neutrons; Organo-ceramic hybrid material; Radioisotopes - isolation & purification; Radioisotopes - therapeutic use; Radiopharmaceuticals - isolation & purification; Radiopharmaceuticals - therapeutic use; Republic of Korea; Technology, Radiologic - instrumentation; Technology, Radiologic - methods; Ytterbium - radiation effects; Republic of Korea; Organo-ceramic hybrid material; HANARO; Chelate adsorbent; Lutetium-177
• ISSN: 0969-8043; 1872-9800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.05.028

A separation study using a 176Yb target for the preparation of nca 177Lu, which is a beta-emitting nuclide used not only in radioimmunotherapy applications but also in the treatment of various lesions, has been performed. A material having a better selectivity and separation efficiency for Lu than Yb was developed, and the separation conditions of 177Lu were derived using this from a neutron irradiated 176Yb target. The separation material was an organo-ceramic hybrid material containing a phosphate group. Adsorption behavior was determined through batch experiments, and 177Lu separation from the Yb target was evaluated through column experiments. The Yb target, with a 99.72% in 176Yb, was irradiated in the irradiation hole of HANARO, which has a thermal neutron flux of 1.6E+14ncm−2s−1. The batch experiments revealed that the organo-ceramic hybrid material (Sol-POS) had a separation factor of 1.6 at 0.5M HCl. Separation was performed through extraction chromatography using a 5mg enriched Yb target, and the separation yield of the NCA 177Lu was about 78%. If the amount of Yb target is increased to produce curies level 177Lu, additional purification will be needed. •A separation study has been performed using an organo-ceramic hybrid material for the production of NCA 177Lu.•A remote separation system with a dedicated program for a Yb/Lu pair has been developed.•This method is suitable for preparation of the NCA 177Lu by using a few mg of enriched Yb target.