Production and in vivo PET/CT imaging of the theranostic pair 132/135La

Abstract

The present study describes a novel method for the low energy cyclotron production and radiochemical isolation of no-carrier-added 132/135La3+ from bulk natBa. This separation strategy combines precipitation and single-column extraction chromatography to afford an overall radiochemical yield (92 ± 2%) and apparent molar activity (22 ± 4 Mbq/nmol) suitable for the radiolabeling of DOTA-conjugated vectors. The produced 132/135La3+ has a radiochemical and radionuclidic purity amenable for 132La/135La-based cancer theranostic applications. Longitudinal PET/CT images acquired using the positron-emitting 132La and ex vivo biodistribution data separately corroborated the accumulation of unchelated 132/135La3+ ions in bone and the liver.