Successful labeling of Tc-MDP using Tc separated from Mo produced by Mo(,2)Mo

Nagai, Yasuki; Hatsukawa, Yuichi; Kin, Tadahiro; Hashimoto, Kazuyuki; Motoishi, Shoji; Konno, Chikara  ; Ochiai, Kentaro; Takakura, Kosuke; Sato, Yuichi*; Kawauchi, Yukimasa*; Sato, Norihito*; Ota, Akio*; Yamabayashi, Hisamichi*; Tanase, Masakazu*; Fujisaki, Saburo*; Teranaka, Tomoyuki*; Takeuchi, Nobuhiro*; Igarashi, Takashi*

We have for the first time succeeded to separate Tc from a Mo oxide sample irradiated by accelerator neutrons, and to formulate Tc-methylene diphosphonate (Tc-MDP). Mo, the mother nuclide of Tc, was produced by the Mo(,2)Mo reaction using about 14 MeV neutrons provided at the Fusion Neutronics Source of Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The Tc was separated from Mo by the sublimation method, and its radionuclide purity was confirmed to be higher than 99.99%. The labeling efficiency of Tc-MDP was shown to be higher than 99%. These values exceed the United States Pharmacopeia requirements for a fission product, Mo. Consequently, a Tc radiopharmaceutical preparation formed by using the mentioned Mo can be a promising substitute for the fission product Mo. A longstanding problem to ensure a reliable and constant supply of Mo in Japan can be partially mitigated.