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Four researchers from the PRISMA team of the Subatech laboratory in collaboration with GIP ARRONAX have just published in Frontiers in Medicine, section Nuclear Medicine, the results of their work on the production of 67Cu from 70Zn.

67Cu is a radionuclide with interesting physical properties for therapeutic applications. It is a beta-emitter with a maximum energy of between 350 and 600 keV, which corresponds to an electron path of about 3 mm in water. This energy range, comparable to that of 177Lu currently used in internal vectorized radiotherapy, is not very high and allows localized treatment and limits the dose received by surrounding healthy tissue. 67Cu has a half-life of 61,8 h which is suitable for therapeutic use.

Spectroscopy imaging detectors perform best with gamma photons in the 100-400 keV energy range. 67Cu emits gamma photons, particularly the most intense at 184.6 keV, in this energy range without emitting higher energy gamma rays that would degrade image resolution. It then offers the possibility to perform SPECT imaging in parallel with the therapy, which allows to follow its diffusion and distribution.

Nigron, E., Guertin, A., Haddad, F. & Sounalet, T. Is 70Zn(d,x)67Cu the Best Way to Produce 67Cu for Medical Applications? Front. Med. 8, 674617 (2021).

Lire l’article complet : https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.674617

Contact : Etienne Nigron