Scandium Radioisotopes—Toward New Targets and Imaging Modalities

Abstract

The concept of theranostics uses radioisotopes of the same or chemically similar elements to label biological ligands in a way that allows the use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiation for a combined diagnosis and treatment regimen. For scandium, radioisotopes -43 and -44 can be used as diagnostic markers, while radioisotope scandium-47 can be used in the same configuration for targeted therapy. This work presents the latest achievements in the production and processing of radioisotopes and briefly characterizes solutions aimed at increasing the availability of these radioisotopes for research and clinical practice.

Towards Clinical Development of Scandium Radioisotope Complexes for Use in Nuclear Medicine: Encouraging Prospects with the Chelator 1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic Acid (DOTA) and Its Analogues

“…Several studies have described nuclear reactions under different conditions for the production of Sc-43 and Sc-44 from calcium and titanium, with different outcomes in each case, in terms of the yields and purities of the various radionuclides produced [ 43 , 58 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 ]. These scandium isotopes can be produced via multiple routes.…”

“…In general, many separation methods have been reported in the literature for scandium isotopes and each of them is closely related to the type of the original target material/source, as described extensively elsewhere [ 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 ]. Similarly, different recovery yields, ranging from 45–98%, were reported for various systems, corresponding to the methods developed to allow separation of scandium isotopes from the target material [ 59 , 66 , 70 , 71 , 75 , 78 , 84 , 89 , 92 , ...…”

Experience in Developing Radiation Sources for Personalized Brachytherapy Based on Titanium Alloys

“…Наиболее изученными в настоящее время являются соединения на основе 68 Ga в качестве диагностических радиофармацевтических лекарственных препаратов, и к ним подбираются терапевтические аналоги на основе бета-излучателей, таких как 177 Lu и 90 Y. Радионуклиды скандия идеально вписываются в концепцию тераностической пары: 43 Sc или 44 Sc могут применяться в качестве диагностических позитронных излучателей, а 47 Sc -терапевтический бета-излучатель. Кроме того, у 47 Sc присутствует низкоэнергетический гамма-спектр, что позволяет проводить ОФЭКТ/КТ или планарную сцинтиграфию, и получать картину распределения препарата в организме [12,13]. Радионуклиды скандия в последнее время вызвали значительный интерес, считаются что они способны заменить пару 68 Ga -177 Lu.…”

Nuclear Cross-Section of Proton-Induced Reactions on Enriched 48Ti Targets for the Production of Theranostic 47Sc Radionuclide, 46cSc, 44mSc, 44gSc, 43Sc, and 48V

“…With the 70 MeV proton cyclotron installed at the INFN-LNL, the research activities carried out within Laboratory of Radionuclides for Medicine (LARAMED) are focused on the production of emerging radionuclides with proton beams [ 2 ]. Among the radionuclides of major interest for our team is 47 Sc, a theranostic radionuclide that presents suitable decay characteristics for SPECT imaging and β − therapy ( Table 1 ), which can be also paired with the β + emitter counterparts 43 Sc and 44 Sc for PET applications [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. The lack of 47 Sc production is limiting its use in preclinical and clinical trials; for this reason, the 47 Sc proton-based production routes have been investigated within the PASTA and REMIX projects [ 1 , 2 ].…”