Mary Alfonse (Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences) paper has been accepted for Scientific Reports.
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Authors
Mary Alfonse George Mikhail, Tadahiro Kin, Taisei Eto & Kazuaki Tsukada
Affiliation
Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences
Manuscript Title
Improved extraction efficiency of radioactive copper produced via accelerator neutrons method through phosphate buffer-enhanced column pre-treatment
Abstract
We report a straightforward and robust method for isolating medical copper radioisotopes 64Cu and 67Cu, generated by an accelerator neutrons technique from natZn (n, x). This study reveals the key role of a phosphate buffer pre-treatment of the cation exchange column in the separation process.
Incorporating the phosphate buffer into the column pre-treatment markedly enhances the retention of copper isotopes within the column throughout the separation procedure. This approach yields a remarkably high-purity radioactive copper sample with a high extraction efficiency of 94.4 (1.5) % of
the initially produced copper, all within a relatively short experimental timeframe of approximately 5 h for 100 g of starting material. This single-step separation scheme is reproducible across a range of starting material target sizes, from small (10 g) to large (100 g). The copper radioisotopes obtained are suitable for use in pre-clinical studies. Thus, this approach offers a more effective means for routine preparation of copper radioisotopes.
Journal name
Scientific Reports
Relevant SDGs
SDGs 9. INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Comments
This research focuses on cancer, emphasizing the importance of diagnostic and therapeutic advancements. Personalized medicine, a key approach in oncology, aims to improve both treatment outcomes and patients’ quality of life by tailoring therapies to individual needs. One promising strategy involves the use of radiopharmaceuticals. This study explores the production and separation of copper (Cu) medical radioisotopes, which are absent in nature and artificially produced and purified for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in cancer care.
