De Chemische Binding

Radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging:
Trace agents to make the invisible visible.

 

Medical imaging techniques (“scans”) allow the investigation of anomalies in anatomical structures and of functional processes in the body. Positron emission tomography (PET) is one of such techniques, which is not only used for diagnosing various diseases, but is also used in scientific research, such as in the development of new drugs and the evaluation of the effectiveness of new treatment methods. A PET scan enables the visualisation of various physiological and biochemical processes in the patient on the molecular scale. For making a PET scan, use is made of radioactive trace agents (radiopharmaceuticals) that can measure specific processes in-vivo. Examples of processes that can be measured using PET include the expression of certain receptors, the activity of a particular enzyme, or the -rate of- blood flow through an organ. Most radiopharmaceuticals that are used for PET scans only have a short half-life and so have to be specially synthesised for a specific patient. This short half-life results in number of challenges that have to be taken into account during the production process. Besides that, the production of radiopharmaceuticals of course has to life up to the same strict standards as the production of normal pharmaceuticals if the radiopharmaceuticals are to be used in patients. During the lecture an impression will be given of the way these radiopharmaceuticals are produced and a number of examples will be provided to illustrate the applications for which they are used.     

Dr. Erik F.J. de Vries

Medical Imaging Center

Universitaire Medisch Centrum Groningen

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