%0 Journal Article
%T Membrane-based microfluidic solvent extraction of Ga-68 from aqueous Zn solutions: towards an automated cyclotron production loop.
%A Trapp S
%A Lammers T
%A Engudar G
%A Hoehr C
%A Denkova AG
%A Paulssen E
%A de Kruijff RM
%J EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem
%V 8
%N 1
%D 2023 May 5
%M 37147500
暂无%R 10.1186/s41181-023-00195-2
%X BACKGROUND: The radionuclide Ga-68 is commonly used in nuclear medicine, specifically in positron emission tomography (PET). Recently, the interest in producing Ga-68 by cyclotron irradiation of [68Zn]Zn nitrate liquid targets is increasing. However, current purification methods of Ga-68 from the target solution consist of multi-step procedures, thus, leading to a significant loss of activity through natural decay. Additionally, several processing steps are needed to recycle the costly, enriched target material.
RESULTS: To eventually allow switching from batch to continuous production, conventional batch extraction and membrane-based microfluidic extraction were compared. In both approaches, Ga-68 was extracted using N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine in chloroform as the organic extracting phase. Extraction efficiencies of up to 99.5% ± 0.6% were achieved within 10 min, using the batch approach. Back-extraction of Ga-68 into 2 M HCl was accomplished within 1 min with efficiencies of up to 94.5% ± 0.6%. Membrane-based microfluidic extraction achieved 99.2% ± 0.3% extraction efficiency and 95.8% ± 0.8% back-extraction efficiency into 6 M HCl. When executed on a solution irradiated with a 13 MeV cyclotron at TRIUMF, Canada, comparable efficiencies of 97.0% ± 0.4% were achieved. Zn contamination in the back-extracted Ga-68 solution was found to be below 3 ppm.
CONCLUSIONS: Microfluidic solvent extraction is a promising method in the production of Ga-68 achieving high efficiencies in a short amount of time, potentially allowing for direct target recycling.