Need for enrichment of lutetium isotope and design of a laser based separator module

Lutetium-177 radio-pharmaceutical has become an important theranostic candidate in cancer treatment. Its availability from bench-to-bed requires strategic implementation of isotope-enrichment, neutron-irradiation and radio-chemical techniques. In this paper, the need for enrichment of lutetium-176 is emphasized by estimating specific activity of lutetium-177 as a function of enrichment percentage for typical neutron flux available at Dhruva reactor, India. A novel Atomic Vapour Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) module for lutetium-176 enrichment is designed to meet the above requirement. The paper documents its characteristics and production estimates. The design is carried out after critical assessment and evaluation of available AVLIS-infrastructure in the country. Outline of lutetium-177 enrichment, capable of producing non-carrier-added lutetium is also provided. This work concludes that India has taken a step forward towards self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in securing the supply chain of lutetium-177.