Production of Pb from enriched Tl using deuteron beams.

Lead-203 is a SPECT emitter that can be used in theranostic applications as an imaging counterpart of lead-212 which is intended to be used for alpha therapy as lead-212/bismuth-212 in-vivo generator. In our study, we explore the production of lead-203 using enriched thallium-205 target irradiated by a deuteron beam. Excitation functions of deuteron induced reactions leading to the formation of Pb, Tl and Hg isotopes were determined experimentally in the energy range from 21 MeV to 34 MeV.

Study of terbium production from enriched Gd targets via the reaction Gd(d,2n)Tb.

The terbium (Tb) family has attracted much attention in recent years thanks to the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of the quadruplet Tb, Tb, Tb and Tb. However, the scarce availability of Tb radioisotopes is one of the main reasons hindering its clinical applications. To increase its availability, this work proposes to use enriched gadolinium (Gd) targets to produce some Tb radioisotopes (Tb, Tb, and Tb) via deuteron-induced reactions in cyclotrons.

Can we reach suitable Tb purity for medical applications using the Gd(d,n) reaction?

Terbium is a chemical element that has several radioactive isotopes with suitable physical characteristics to be used in medical applications either for imaging or for therapy. This makes terbium a promising element to implement the theranostic approach. For therapeutic applications, Tb (T = 6.

Electrochemical co-deposition of Ni-GdO for composite thin targets preparation: Production of Tb as a case study.

In the last years, Tb has attracted enormous interest due to its potential role in theranostics in nuclear medicine. To estimate its production yield, the aim of this study was to develop a method to prepare thin Gd-enriched-containing targets aimed at the Gd(d, 2n)Tb nuclear cross section measurement. To this end, the electrochemical co-deposition method has been chosen to manufacture Ni-GdO composite targets.

Technical note: Proton beam dosimetry at ultra-high dose rates (FLASH): Evaluation of GAFchromic™ (EBT3, EBT-XD) and OrthoChromic (OC-1) film performances.

Purpose: The ARRONAX cyclotron facility offers the possibility to deliver proton beams from low to ultra-high dose rates (UHDR). As a good control of the dosimetry is a prerequisite of UHDR experimentations, we evaluated in different conditions the usability and the dose rate dependency of several radiochromic films commonly used for dosimetry in radiotherapy.

Methods: We compared the dose rate dependency of three types of radiochromic films: GAFchromic™ EBT3 and GAFchromic™ EBT-XD (Ashland Inc.

Is Zn(d,x)Cu the Best Way to Produce Cu for Medical Applications?

The pair of copper radionuclides Cu/Cu (T = 12. 7 h/61.8 h) allows, respectively, PET imaging and targeted beta therapy.

A Monte Carlo Determination of Dose and Range Uncertainties for Preclinical Studies with a Proton Beam.

Proton therapy (PRT) is an irradiation technique that aims at limiting normal tissue damage while maintaining the tumor response. To study its specificities, the ARRONAX cyclotron is currently developing a preclinical structure compatible with biological experiments. A prerequisite is to identify and control uncertainties on the ARRONAX beamline, which can lead to significant biases in the observed biological results and dose-response relationships, as for any facility.

THE RADIOBIOLOGICAL PLATFORM AT ARRONAX.

The cyclotron ARRONAX can deliver different types of particles (protons, deuterons, alpha-particles) in an energy range up to 68 MeV. One of its six experimental halls is dedicated to studying the interactions of radiation with matter including living matter. A horizontal beamline for cell irradiation has been setup and characterized.

Production of Sc medical radioisotopes with proton and deuteron beams.

Proton and deuteron beams (15.3 and 6.8 MeV, respectively) extracted from the PETtrace medical cyclotron at the Radiopharmaceuticals Production and Research Centre in the University of Warsaw, Heavy Ion Laboratory, 28 MeV protons from the C30 cyclotron at the National Centre for Nuclear Research, Świerk, near Warsaw and 33 MeV protons from the ARRONAX accelerator, Nantes were used to produce and investigate the medically interesting Sc radioisotopes.

Is there an interest to use deuteron beams to produce non-conventional radionuclides?

With the recent interest on the theranostic approach, there has been a renewed interest for alternative radionuclides in nuclear medicine. They can be produced using common production routes, i.e.

Measurements of (186)Re production cross section induced by deuterons on (nat)W target at ARRONAX facility.

Introduction: The ARRONAX cyclotron, acronym for "Accelerator for Research in Radiochemistry and Oncology at Nantes Atlantique" is a new facility installed in Nantes, France. A dedicated program has been launched on production of innovative radioisotopes for PET imaging and for β- and α targeted radiotherapy using protons or α particles. Since the accelerator is also able to deliver deuteron beams up to 35 MeV, we have reconsidered the possibility of using them to produce medical isotopes.

ARRONAX, a high-energy and high-intensity cyclotron for nuclear medicine.

Purpose: This study was aimed at establishing a list of radionuclides of interest for nuclear medicine that can be produced in a high-intensity and high-energy cyclotron.

Methods: We have considered both therapeutic and positron emission tomography radionuclides that can be produced using a high-energy and a high-intensity cyclotron such as ARRONAX, which will be operating in Nantes (France) by the end of 2008. Novel radionuclides or radionuclides of current limited availability have been selected according to the following criteria: emission of positrons, low-energy beta or alpha particles, stable or short half-life daughters, half-life between 3 h and 10 days or generator-produced, favourable dosimetry, production from stable isotopes with reasonable cross sections.