TUZGBF2
TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada
BCCA, Vancouver, Canada
LHRI, London, Canada
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Many of the ~1000 hospital-based medical (proton) cyclotrons around the world today operate between 11 and 24 MeV, an ideal energy range for the production of a number of metallic radionuclides that are experiencing a dramatic increase in clinical demand. A Canadian team led by TRIUMF, has developed a solid target hardware configuration with a demonstrated irradiation capability between 2 and 12 kW for up to 6 hours on multiple cyclotron types. Production of Tc-99m, Cu-64 and Ga-68 have been demonstrated, with the team having also established Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) purification parameters under the operational capabilities of various machines. Plans are in place to expand and enable the production of a number of other metallic radioisotopes as the nuclear medicine community mobilizes to address a number of unmet clinical needs. This presentation will provide a summary of the hardware development effort, isotope production and purification capabilities, as well as the imaging and therapeutic applications that are driving clinical demand for Tc, Ga, Cu and a growing number of metal-based medical isotopes.
