title: Nanoceria-PAN composite-based advanced sorbent material: a major step forward in the field of clinical-grade 68Ge/68Ga generator.
abstract: The (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator has high potential for clinical positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. However, because of the unavailability of a suitable sorbent material, the commercially available (68)Ge/(68)Ga generators are not directly adaptable for the preparation of (68)Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals. In view of this, a new nanoceria-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite sorbent has been synthesized by decomposition of a cerium oxalate precursor to cerium oxide and its subsequent incorporation in PAN matrix for the development of a clinical grade (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and BET nitrogen adsorption technique revealed that nanocrystalline ceria had an average particle size of approximately 10 nm, surface area of 72 +/- 3 m(2)/g and an average pore size of 3.8 +/- 0.1 A. Investigation of the distribution ratio (K(d)) values for the prepared sorbent in 0.01 N HCl medium revealed the suitability of the sorbent for the quantitative retention of (68)Ge and efficient elution of clinical grade (68)Ga. A 370 MBq (10 mCi) (68)Ge/(68)Ga chromatographic generator was developed using this sorbent. (68)Ga could be regularly eluted from this generator with >80% elution yield. The eluted (68)Ga possess high radionuclidic purity (<1 x 10(-5)% of (68)Ge impurity), chemical purity (<0.1 ppm of Ce, Fe and Mn ions) and was amenable for the preparation of (68)Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals. The generator gave a consistent performance with respect to the elution yield and purity of (68)Ga over an extended period of 7 months.
authors.affiliation: Radiopharmaceuticals Division, Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: Rubel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chakravarty
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Ramu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.forename: Meera
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venkatesh
authors.forename: Ashutosh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dash
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Tyagi
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002563:Cerium / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010070:Oxalates / Q000737:chemistry*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D010070:Oxalates; C010504:polyacrylonitrile; D002563:Cerium; C030583:ceric oxide