Advances in ²¹¹At production at Texas A&M University

Abstract

Alpha emitting radionuclides with medically relevant half-lives are interesting for treatment of tumors and other diseases because they deposit large amounts of energy close to the location of the radioisotope. Researchers at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University are developing a program to produce 211At, an alpha emitter with a medically relevant half-life. The properties of 211At make it a great candidate for targeted alpha therapy for cancer due to its short half-life (7.2 h). Astatine-211 has now been produced multiple times and reliability of this process is being improved.

Ion exchange behavior of astatine and bismuth

“…and the value of this constant is equal to 3.8 for Dowex 1 Â 8 resin. 66 By solving quadratic eqn (15), it is possible to estimate the concentration of Cl À anions in solution. In our experiments, the phase ratio was not equal to unity, so a correction factor f must be used…”

“…8,12 It is believed that AtO + is the most stable species in the aqueous phase, representing the +3 oxidation state. [13][14][15][16][17] However, At + can also be found in acidic solutions. 9 If reducing agents are applied, then anionic At À can be formed.…”

“…Details on the At production, targeting, beam intensities, and activity produced can be found elsewhere. 15 The target material was dissolved in B10 M HNO 3 . An automated dissolution apparatus was employed to chemically treat the irradiated target.…”

Complexation of Astatine(III) with Ketones: Roles of NO3–Counterion and Exploration of Possible Binding Modes

“…At-211 Production. Astatine-211 was produced by 209 Bi-(α,2n) 211 At nuclear reaction via 28.8 MeV α-particle bombardment (∼0.9 b cross section) 27 of a natural Bi metal target, as previously reported, 25,45,47 where a typical production run is in the range of 1−2 GBq of 211 At. An automated dissolution apparatus was employed to chemically treat the irradiated material.…”