How to Keep a Vital Diagnostic Isotope in Stock

Positron emission tomography (PET) typically relies on relatively short-lived positron emitters, i.e., radioisotopes that decay with the emission of “antimatter” electrons and possess half-lives on the order of 10 to 110 minutes. Longer-lived positron emitters such as 44Sc in its energetic ground state (44gSc) enable imaging of slower biological processes. Titanium-44 (half-life 60 years), which functions as a source for 44gSc, is also of interest to astrophysicists who study the origin of matter in supernovae: the isotope is produced in silicon burning in the innermost regions of the material ejected in core-collapse supernovae in the same processes that produce iron and 56Ni. Reference samples of 44Ti are thus used as standards for detector calibrations.

While hundreds of micrograms do not sound impressive to some, such masses can represent the world’s stock of a precious isotope. Researchers from Los Alamos and Brookhaven National Laboratories have demonstrated a method to make quantities of 44Ti that are sufficient to support important developmental research into the medical application of scandium. They also designed a technique to fix the radioactivity on a solid support so that it can continuously be washed with an appropriate solution to recover its daughter isotope 44gSc for medical research. The long-lived parent yields 44gSc on a daily “as needed’’ basis for PET imaging purposes directly available at hospitals and other facilities.

To read more please visit: https://science.energy.gov/np/highlights/2017/np-2017-08-a/

Source: US Dept. Of Energy DOE