Production, quality control and microPET analysis of novel solid-target based radionuclide 64Cu

Abstract

Objective To briefly retrospect the production and quality control of 64Cu(n=9) in Department of Nuclear Medicine of Peking University Cancer Hospital in order to provide useful information for the further production and application of this novel radionuclide. Methods 64Ni(p, n)64Cu nuclide reaction was used for the 64Cu production. Firstly, a new electro-planting device for 64Ni planting was designed. HM-20 cyclotron was applied to irradiate the slice for 5-8 h. 64CuCl2 was purified, collected and injected into normal mice. MicroPET was conducted to monitor the metabolism in vivo. Results A new type of electro-planting device was designed and assembled. The enriched 64Ni target showed smooth, even, dense surface and without obvious pits and cracks. High specific 64Cu (1.3-4.1 GBq) can be collected after radio-chemical purification. 64Cu was finally dissolved in 0.01 mol/L HCl with high radionuclide purity (over 99.97%). MicroPET of 64CuCl2 in normal mice showed that the radioactivity was mainly accumulated in the liver. Conclusion A new and real-time observable device for 64Ni electro-plating has been designed and successfully used in the production of 64Cu with high specific activity. Key words: Nickel; Copper radioisotopes; Positron-emission tomography; Mice