Fully Automated Production of Multiple ¹¹C-Labeled PET Tracers Using a Self-Cleaning TracerMaker Radiosynthesizer

Area of Science:

• Radiochemistry
• Nuclear Medicine
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Automated synthesis is crucial for efficient production of carbon-11 Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiotracers.
• Existing methods require manual intervention, increasing workload and radiation exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a fully automated radiosynthesizer, TracerMaker, for routine production of ¹¹C-labeled PET tracers.
• To evaluate the system's efficiency, reliability, and impact on operator workload and radiation exposure.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of the TracerMaker automated radiosynthesizer.
• Integration of automated Sep-Pak preconditioning, in-line sterile filter integrity testing, and automated postproduction cleaning.
• Production of three clinically relevant ¹¹C-labeled tracers: (E)-[¹¹C]ABP688, [¹¹C]PS13, and [¹¹C]PiB.

Main Results:

• Successful routine production of multiple ¹¹C-labeled PET tracers without hardware modification.
• Significant reduction in operator workload and radiation exposure due to automation.
• Automated cleaning enabled rapid turnaround and high-throughput sequential production.

Conclusions:

• The TracerMaker module offers a robust, flexible, and cost-effective platform for clinical ¹¹C-radiopharmaceutical production.
• The automated system streamlines radiotracer synthesis, supporting research and clinical applications.
• This technology facilitates the translation of novel PET tracers into clinical practice.