A solvent-extraction module for cyclotron production of high-purity technetium-99m

Petra Martini; Alessandra Boschi; Gianfranco Cicoria; Licia Uccelli; Micòl Pasquali; Adriano Duatti; Gaia Pupillo; Mario Marengo; Massimo Loriggiola; Juan Esposito

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.10.002

A solvent-extraction module for cyclotron production of high-purity technetium-99m

Appl Radiat Isot. 2016 Dec:118:302-307. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.10.002. Epub 2016 Oct 5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy; Legnaro National Laboratories, Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNL-INFN), Italy. Electronic address: petra.martini@unife.it.
² Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy. Electronic address: alessandra.boschi@unife.it.
³ Department of Nuclear Medicine, St. Orsola Hospital, Italy.
⁴ Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy.
⁵ Legnaro National Laboratories, Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNL-INFN), Italy; Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy.
⁶ Legnaro National Laboratories, Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNL-INFN), Italy.

PMID: 27744212
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.10.002

Abstract

The design and fabrication of a fully-automated, remotely controlled module for the extraction and purification of technetium-99m (Tc-99m), produced by proton bombardment of enriched Mo-100 molybdenum metallic targets in a low-energy medical cyclotron, is here described. After dissolution of the irradiated solid target in hydrogen peroxide, Tc-99m was obtained under the chemical form of ^99mTcO₄^-, in high radionuclidic and radiochemical purity, by solvent extraction with methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). The extraction process was accomplished inside a glass column-shaped vial especially designed to allow for an easy automation of the whole procedure. Recovery yields were always >90% of the loaded activity. The final pertechnetate saline solution Na^99mTcO₄, purified using the automated module here described, is within the Pharmacopoeia quality control parameters and is therefore a valid alternative to generator-produced ^99mTc. The resulting automated module is cost-effective and easily replicable for in-house production of high-purity Tc-99m by cyclotrons.

Keywords: Automated module; Cyclotrons; Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK); Molybdenum-100; Pertechnetate; Solvent extraction; Technetium-99m.