Automated radiochemical production for clinical positron emission tomography

This thesis describes a set of target holders that were designed for the production of positron emitting isotopes, using an 11 MeV, proton only, negative hydrogen ion cyclotron. The majority of these target holders (13N, 15O and 18F) make efficient use of expensive, isotopically enriched target materials (13C, 15N and 18O), allowing economical production of the various radioisotopes. Also described is a general purpose chemistry process control unit (CPCU) that allows the automated synthesis of a variety of positron-emitter labeled pharmaceuticals. The CPCU has been applied to the routine production of 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) as well as the synthesis of other radiolabeled compounds. The results described do not guarantee success for Clinical PET, but are a proof of principle. An 11 MeV, proton only cyclotron is sufficient to produce positron-emitting radionuclides for Clinical PET