Boron in nuclear medicine: New synthetic approaches to PET, SPECT, and BNCT agents

The primary objective of the DOE Nuclear Medicine Program at The University of Tennessee is the creation of new methods for introducing short-lived isotopes into agents for use in PET and SPECT. A small, but significant portion of our effort is directed toward the design of boron-containing neutron therapy agents. The uniqueness of the UT program is its focus on the design of new chemistry (molecular architecture) and technology as opposed to the application of known reactions to the synthesis of specific radiopharmaceuticals, the new technology is then utilized in nuclear medicine research at the UT Biomedical Imaging Center and in collaboration with colleagues at other DOE facilities (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities)