The Production of Ac-225

The radionuclide 225Ac and its daughter 213Bi are among the most interesting alpha emitters being evaluated for incorporation into targeted therapeutic vectors. Global supply of 225Ac is presently insufficient to meet anticipated clinical demand, but the deficiency has been targeted by many research and development efforts, privately and publicly funded. From more than a decade of these endeavors, no single production technology has emerged as a complete solution. In the foreseeable future, global supply of 225Ac will continue to be sourced from a patchwork of production methods and laboratories with a range of radioisotopic purities and achievable yields.

This manuscript attempts to present an overview of availability sources of 225Ac and production methods by which additional supplies might be made available to the community of clinical researchers seeking their application in the treatment of human disease.