Isotopic labelling of drugs and nanoparticles

Isotope labeling is based on a historical know-how originating from the pioneering work of Irene and Frederic Joliot-Curie. It is often and rightly associated with drug development because it offers researchers a quantitative and highly sensitive means of evaluating the in vivo fate of molecules of biological interest. Hydrogen (²H, ³H) and carbon (¹¹C, ¹³C, ¹⁴C) isotopes are references in terms of tracers but their incorporation into molecules by radiosynthesis can be complex and costly. In order to overcome these problems and to respond to an ever-increasing number of applications, new rapid and efficient marking methods must be developed. For several years now, the CEA has been developing tritium and carbon-14 labelling techniques whose efficiency and ubiquity make it possible to extend their field of application to broader areas of general interest