Abstract
Application of microfluidics to Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracer synthesis has attracted increasing interest within the last decade. The technical advantages of microfluidics, in particular the high surface to volume ratio and resulting fast thermal heating and cooling rates of reagents can lead to reduced reaction times, increased synthesis yields and reduced by-products. In addition automated reaction optimization, reduced consumption of expensive reagents and a path towards a reduced system footprint have been successfully demonstrated. The processing of radioactivity levels required for routine production, use of microfluidic-produced PET tracer doses in preclinical and clinical imaging as well as feasibility studies on autoradiolytic decomposition have all given promising results. However, the number of microfluidic synthesizers utilized for commercial routine production of PET tracers is very limited. This study reviews the state of the art in microfluidic PET tracer synthesis, highlighting critical design aspects, strengths, weaknesses and presenting several characteristics of the diverse PET market space which are thought to have a significant impact on research, development and engineering of microfluidic devices in this field. Furthermore, the topics of batch- and single-dose production, cyclotron to quality control integration as well as centralized versus de-centralized market distribution models are addressed.
Highlights
Microfluidic Positron Emission Tomography (PET) [1] tracer synthesizer development has been pursued for several years [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
PET tracer synthesizer chip, utilizing a syringe pump external to the shielding or alternatively controlled gas pressure for reagent delivery from a conventional vial to a capacitive metering element on-chip for accurate quantification and transfer of the liquids delivered across a needle interface [91]
Whereas capillary-based systems are already approaching good utilization for PET tracer research as early systems (Figure 2), supported by a growing number of scientific publications associated to this particular architecture, hybrid or lab-on-chip microfluidic devices are currently in the stage of basic functionality development (Figure 2), due to the functional element integration challenges discussed in this review
Summary
Microfluidic Positron Emission Tomography (PET) [1] tracer synthesizer development has been pursued for several years [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Numerous microfluidic devices have been described, including commercially available capillary-based microfluidic synthesis platforms [9,10,11], as well as lab-on-chip devices [12] Both approaches have demonstrated significant improvements to PET tracer synthesis such as reduced reaction times, lowered consumption of expensive reagents and processing of radioactivity levels sufficient for practical use [13]. Future commercial microfluidic PET tracer synthesis systems must deliver the advantages of microfluidics while competing against automated chemistry modules already established in the field These conventional systems have overcome practical challenges such as regulatory compliance with operation under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines, high operational efficiency and reliability, ease of use and low cost of consumables. This review takes an engineering perspective on the field of microfluidic PET tracer synthesis and sheds light on achievements and remaining challenges, as well as different perspectives towards making microfluidics for PET radiochemistry a success story worldwide
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call