Therapeutic Radionuclide Generators

Radionuclide generators are a cost effective and efficient means to enhance the availability of short lived radioisotopes used in medicine and industry. This publication presents technologies for the development of 90Sr/90Y and 188W/188Re generator systems and provides details about the analytical methods that are used for evaluating the radionuclides to be used for basic research and radiopharmaceuticals preparation.

Radionuclide generators are a cost effective and efficient means to enhance the availability of short lived radioisotopes used in medicine and industry. This publication presents technologies for the development of 90Sr/90Y and 188W/188Re generator systems and provides details about the analytical methods that are used for evaluating the radionuclides to be used for basic research and radiopharmaceuticals preparation.

This revised and extended 6 volume handbook set is the most comprehensive and voluminous reference work of its kind in the field of nuclear chemistry. The Handbook set covers all of the chemical aspects of nuclear science starting from the physical basics and including such diverse areas as the chemistry of transactinides and exotic atoms as well as radioactive waste management and radiopharmaceutical chemistry relevant to nuclear medicine. The nuclear methods of the investigation of chemical structure also receive ample space and attention. The international team of authors consists of scores of world-renowned experts - nuclear chemists, radiopharmaceutical chemists and physicists - from Europe, USA, and Asia. The Handbook set is an invaluable reference for nuclear scientists, biologists, chemists, physicists, physicians practicing nuclear medicine, graduate students and teachers - virtually all who are involved in the chemical and radiopharmaceutical aspects of nuclear science. The Handbook set also provides further reading via the rich selection of references.

Nearly 20 million nuclear medicine procedures are carried out each year in the United States alone to diagnose and treat cancers, cardiovascular disease, and certain neurological disorders. Many of the advancements in nuclear medicine have been the result of research investments made during the past 50 years where these procedures are now a routine part of clinical care. Although nuclear medicine plays an important role in biomedical research and disease management, its promise is only beginning to be realized. Advancing Nuclear Medicine Through Innovation highlights the exciting emerging opportunities in nuclear medicine, which include assessing the efficacy of new drugs in development, individualizing treatment to the patient, and understanding the biology of human diseases. Health care and pharmaceutical professionals will be most interested in this book's examination of the challenges the field faces and its recommendations for ways to reduce these impediments.

This book provides detailed information on therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals and discusses emerging technologies which have potential for broad clinical implementation. Recent advances in molecular biology, radiopharmaceutical chemistry and radioisotope production have stimulated a new era for the use of radiopharmaceuticals for targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT). Emerging clinical trials include use of peptides and monoclonal antibodies radiolabeled with therapeutic radionuclides for cancer therapy. In addition, small molecules are used for the treatment of chronic diseases such as metastatic bone pain palliation and radiation synovectomy of inflammatory joints. In the interventional arena, therapy of primary and metastatic liver cancer and arterial restenosis following angioplasty of both the coronary and peripheral arteries are being explored. Reactor and accelerator production of therapeutic radioisotopes is also integrated into these discussions. The development and use of radiopharmaceutical targeting characteristics required for treatment of specific disease processes and how these are implemented for radiopharmaceutical design strategies are also described. Radiopharmaceuticals for Therapy will benefit audiences in nuclear medicine and radionuclide therapy and will thus prove an invaluable source of up-to-date information for students, radiopharmaceutical scientists and professionals working in the radiopharmacy and nuclear medicine specialties.

"A key requirement for the effective implementation of the therapeutic approach, based on the intravenous administration of radiolabelled compounds (radionuclide therapy), is the sufficient availability of radionuclides with appropriate physical characteristics. Based on their nuclear properties, 188Re and 90Y are considered among the most interesting radionuclides for therapy. Furthermore, they are produced through portable generators, which provide a crucial advantage toward ensuring a worldwide distribution of these radionuclides. This publication illustrates recent studies aimed at investigating efficient quality control methods to ensure both the radionuclidic purity of generator eluates, and the proper preparation of new target specific 188Re and 90Y radiopharmaceuticals for various clinical applications."--Publisher's description.