Quantitative online isolation of 68Ge from 68Ge/68Ga generator eluates for purification and immediate quality control of breakthrough

The breakthrough of 68Ge from a 68Ge/68Ga-generator is one of the most sensitive parameters in the context of the clinical application of 68Ga-radiopharmaceuticals. The difficulty in its determination lies in the "spectroscopic invisibility" of 68Ge within an excess of 68Ga. The introduced method for determining the 68Ge content of the 68Ge/68Ga-generator eluate involves the quantitative separation of 68Ga from 68Ge, using a cation-exchanger. The eluate contains 68Ga free of 68Ge, which can be determined immediately, i.e. prior to the application of the 68Ga-radiopharmaceutical. - Highlights: • 8Ga is separated quantitatively and online from co-eluted 68Ge. • Separation was achieved by the use of a cation exchange resin. • 68Ge breakthrough in 68Ge/68Ga generators eluate is determined immediately