China’s radiopharmaceuticals on expressway: 2014–2021

Abstract

This review provides an essential overview on the progress of rapidly-developing China’s radiopharmaceuticals in recent years (2014–2021). Our discussion reflects on efforts to develop potential, preclinical, and in-clinical radiopharmaceuticals including the following areas: (1) brain imaging agents, (2) cardiovascular imaging agents, (3) infection and inflammation imaging agents, (4) tumor radiopharmaceuticals, and (5) boron delivery agents (a class of radiopharmaceutical prodrug) for neutron capture therapy. Especially, the progress in basic research, including new radiolabeling methodology, is highlighted from a standpoint of radiopharmaceutical chemistry. Meanwhile, we briefly reflect on the recent major events related to radiopharmaceuticals along with the distribution of major R&D forces (universities, institutions, facilities, and companies), clinical study status, and national regulatory supports. We conclude with a brief commentary on remaining limitations and emerging opportunities for China’s radiopharmaceuticals.

Radiopharmaceuticals heat anti-tumor immunity

“…Unlike the external irradiation used in traditional radiotherapy, RPT delivers cytotoxic radiation directly to cancer cells or tumor microenvironments systemically or locally [1,2,10]. The radiation exposure from RPT is continuous, with the unique exponential decay spectrum depending on the characteristics of the radionuclide utilized, consisting of α or β particles, auger electrons, and gamma emissions of varying energies [11][12][13][14].…”