Radioarsenic from a portable (72)Se/(72)As generator: a current perspective

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Radiochemistry
• Biomolecular imaging

Background:

• Positron emission tomography (PET) requires longer-lived positron emitters for imaging slower biological processes.
• Radionuclide production, labeling chemistry, and point-of-care availability limit radioisotope selection for PET.
• The Selenium-72/Arsenic-72 (72Se/72As) pair presents a promising generator system for a longer-lived PET isotope.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review available generator concepts for the 72Se/72As system.
• To outline current methodologies for introducing radioarsenic into biomolecules.
• To address the need for practical, on-site PET radiotracer production.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing 72Se/72As generator designs.
• Description of chemical strategies leveraging Se(IV)/Se(VI) and As(III)/As(V) redox states.
• Overview of radioarsenic labeling techniques for biomolecules.

Main Results:

• The 72Se/72As generator system provides a viable method for producing 72As (half-life 26 h) from 72Se (half-life 8.5 d).
• Various generator concepts have been developed exploiting selenium and arsenic redox chemistry.
• Established methods exist for incorporating radioarsenic into target biomolecules.

Conclusions:

• The 72Se/72As generator system enhances the clinical availability of a longer-lived PET radioisotope.
• This system addresses the limitations of radioisotope production and on-site radiotracer generation.
• Further development of arsenic labeling chemistry will expand its utility in molecular imaging.