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Researchers report fastest purification of astatine-211 needed for targeted cancer therapy
Astatine-211 recovery from bismuth metal using a chromatography system. Unlike bismuth, astatine-211 forms chemical bonds with ketones.
In a recent study, Texas A&M University researchers have described a new process to purify astatine-211, a promising radioactive isotope for targeted cancer treatment. Unlike other elaborate purification methods, their technique can extract astatine-211 from bismuth in minutes rather than hours, which can greatly reduce the time between production and delivery to the patient.
“Astatine-211 is currently under evaluation as a cancer therapeutic in clinical trials. But the problem is that the supply chain for this element is very limited because only a few places worldwide can make it,” said Jonathan Burns, research scientist in the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s Nuclear Engineering and Science Center. “Texas A&M University is one of a handful of places in the world that can make astatine-211, and we have delineated a rapid astatine-211 separation process that increases the usable quantity of this isotope for research and therapeutic purposes.”
The researchers added that this separation method will bring Texas A&M one step closer to being able to provide astatine-211 for distribution through the Department of Energy’s Isotope Program’s National Isotope Development Center as part of the University Isotope Network.
Details on the chemical reaction to purify astatine-211 are in the journal Separation and Purification Technology.
N. Izumi, E. Dewald, B. Kozioziemski, O. L. Landen, J. A. Koch
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 3 | April 2009 | Pages 253-259
Technical Paper | Eighteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST08-3500
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Refraction-enhanced X-ray phase-contrast imaging is crucial for characterization of deuterium-tritium (D-T) ice layer roughness in optically opaque inertial confinement fusion capsules. Observation of the time development of D-T ice roughness over approximately second timescales requires a bright X-ray source that can produce an image faster than the evolution of the ice surface roughness. A laser-produced plasma X-ray source is one of the candidates that can meet this requirement. Experiments were performed at the Janus laser facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to assess the characteristics of a laser-produced plasma X-ray source as a potential backlight for in situ target characterization.
