Production of scandium-44 m and scandium-44 g with deuterons on calcium-44: cross section measurements and production yield calculations

Phys Med Biol. 2015 Sep 7;60(17):6847-64. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/60/17/6847. Epub 2015 Aug 24.

Abstract

HIGHLIGHTS • Production of Sc-44 m, Sc-44 g and contaminants. • Experimental values determined using the stacked-foil technique. • Thick-Target production Yield (TTY) calculations. • Comparison with the TALYS code version 1.6.Among the large number of radionuclides of medical interest, Sc-44 is promising for PET imaging. Either the ground-state Sc-44 g or the metastable-state Sc-44 m can be used for such applications, depending on the molecule used as vector. This study compares the production rates of both Sc-44 states, when protons or deuterons are used as projectiles on an enriched Calcium-44 target. This work presents the first set of data for the deuteron route. The results are compared with the TALYS code. The Thick-Target production Yields of Sc-44 m and Sc-44 g are calculated and compared with those for the proton route for three different scenarios: the production of Sc-44 g for conventional PET imaging, its production for the new 3 γ imaging technique developed at the SUBATECH laboratory and the production of a Sc-44 m/Sc-44 g in vivo generator for antibody labelling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calcium Carbonate / chemistry*
  • Cyclotrons*
  • Deuterium / chemistry*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Radiochemistry / instrumentation*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals / chemistry*
  • Scandium / chemistry*

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Deuterium
  • Calcium Carbonate
  • Scandium