Radiochemistry for positron emission tomography

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jian Rong, Emory University; Ahmed Haider, Emory University; Troels E Jeppesen, Harvard Medical School; Lee Josephson, Harvard Medical School; Steven H Liang, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-12-01
• Publisher: Springer Nature Limited
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2023
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36377-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Nature Communications
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 3257
• End Page: 3257
• Keywords: Radiochemistry; Radiopharmaceuticals; Positron-Emission Tomography; Drug Development
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Radiology

Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) constitutes a functional imaging technique that is harnessed to probe biological processes in vivo. PET imaging has been used to diagnose and monitor the progression of diseases, as well as to facilitate drug development efforts at both preclinical and clinical stages. The wide applications and rapid development of PET have ultimately led to an increasing demand for new methods in radiochemistry, with the aim to expand the scope of synthons amenable for radiolabeling. In this work, we provide an overview of commonly used chemical transformations for the syntheses of PET tracers in all aspects of radiochemistry, thereby highlighting recent breakthrough discoveries and contemporary challenges in the field. We discuss the use of biologicals for PET imaging and highlight general examples of successful probe discoveries for molecular imaging with PET – with a particular focus on translational and scalable radiochemistry concepts that have been entered to clinical use.