Investigation of the thermal performance of natCu target for 63Zn production

Expanding the PET radioisotope universe utilizing solid targets on small medical cyclotrons

“…[143][144][145] Consequently, zinc dysregulation has been associated with many diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and various cancers including breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer. 143,145,146 The critical role of zinc homeostasis in addition to its association to numerous diseases makes the development of non-invasive techniques for monitoring uctuations in somatic zinc levels of great interest. 143,144 Of the many zinc radioisotopes, only three are positron-emitters, with 63 Zn (t 1/2 : 38.5 min, 92.7% b + , 7.3% EC) showing the greatest promise due to its high probability for positron decay and ease of production.…”

“…The primary target material for the reactions were natural copper foils 148 or natural copper that had been electroplated onto a suitable metal substrate such as gold. 146 When a natural copper foil was bombarded with a 16 MeV proton beam, the reported 63 Zn yield was 2470 MBq (mA h) À1 (i.e. 66.8 mCi (mA h) À1 ) with a purity exceeding 99.9%.…”