Photoredox is a powerful synthetic tool in organic chemistry
and
has been widely used in various fields, including nuclear medicine
and molecular imaging. In particular, acridinium-based organophotoredox
radiolabeling has significantly impacted the production and discovery
of positron emission tomography (PET) agents. Despite their extensive
use in preclinical research, no PET agents synthesized by acridinium
photoredox labeling have been tested in humans. [18F]FDOPA
is clinically used for tumor diagnosis and the evaluation of neuropsychiatric
disorders, but its application is limited by complex synthesis methods,
the need for expensive modules, and/or the high cost of consumable
materials/cassettes. In this report, we integrated a photoredox labeling
unit with an automated module and produced [18F]FDOPA for
human study. This research not only represents the first human study
of a PET agent generated by acridinium-based organophotoredox reactions
but also demonstrates the safety of this novel labeling method, serving
as a milestone/reference for the clinical translation of other PET
agents generated by this technique in the future.