Automated electrophilic radiosynthesis of [¹⁸F]FBPA using a modified nucleophilic GE TRACERlab FXFDG

We modified a commercially available synthesis module for nucleophilic [(18)F]fluorinations (TRACERlab(TM) FXFDG, GE Healthcare) to enable the reliable synthesis of 2-[(18)F]fluoro-4-borono-L-phenylalanine ([(18)F]FBPA) via direct electrophilic substitution of 4-borono-L-phenylalanine with [(18)F]F2 gas. [(18)F]FBPA was obtained with a RCY of 8.5±2.0% and a radiochemical purity of 98±1% in a total synthesis time of 72±7 min (n=22). The modified synthesis module might also be useful for the synthesis of other [(18)F]radiopharmaceuticals via electrophilic substitution reactions while still being suitable for nucleophilic substitution reactions.