Azeotropic drying free [(18)F]FDG synthesis and its application to a lab-on-chip platform

Area of Science:

• Radiochemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Traditional [18F]FDG synthesis involves a complex azeotropic drying step.
• High water content in radiolabeling reactions can be challenging.
• Reducing hardware complexity in automated synthesis platforms is desirable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simplified, time-saving cartridge-based drying technique for [18F]fluoride.
• To enable efficient [18F]FDG synthesis using protic solvents and high water content.
• To adapt this method to a lab-on-chip synthesis platform.

Main Methods:

• A novel cartridge-based drying method for [18F]fluoride was developed.
• The technique was integrated into a lab-on-chip synthesis platform.
• The method was validated for [18F]FDG synthesis using protic solvents.

Main Results:

• The cartridge-based drying technique proved to be simple and time-saving.
• Efficient [18F]FDG synthesis was achieved with high water content and protic solvents.
• The lab-on-chip adaptation demonstrated a proof of concept for reduced hardware complexity.

Conclusions:

• A novel cartridge-based drying method offers an efficient alternative for [18F]fluoride preparation.
• This technique simplifies [18F]FDG synthesis and reduces hardware requirements for automated systems.
• The findings pave the way for more accessible and less complex radiopharmaceutical synthesis platforms.