Production, purification and characterization of 47Sc through 46Ca for application in targeted therapy of small tumors

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a growing incidence in the emergence and mortality due to cancer. Consequently, nuclear medicine has had a role increasingly important in the therapy and diagnosis of this disease. Therefore, the development in the production of new radionuclides and the improvement those already existing are of great interest to serve the population. Among radionuclides, 47Sc has stood out for theranostic applications due to its favorable nuclear characteristics. Cancer prevention and treatment are priorities of the Ministry of Health's Agenda (Brazil) therefore; the production of radiopharmaceutical's radioisotopes nationalization is of great interest since they are not yet produced in Brazil. O objective of this project is to study the feasibility of implementing the methodology for 47Sc production, using the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor at IPEN-CNEN/SP, by irradiating 46Ca and 47Ti. After the production, methods of radiochemical separation, evaluation of yield, radiochemical and chemical purity of the product obtained in each production path will be performed. The project also proposes the study of the targets recovery in the effluents of purification processes, in order to reuse it in the production. The chelating efficiency of 47Sc with a chelating agent will be evaluated, and finally a prototype of experimental generator Ca/47Sc or Ti/47Sc, according to the results obtained in the study of feasibility of the proposed routes. It is believed that the development of this study can contribute positively to the viability of the national production of 47Sc for use as theranostic agent in order to meet the needs of the Brazilian population.