About this Research Topic
The use of nuclear medicine for the detection, follow-up and treatment of several pathologies is arguably a revolution in medicine. In particular, the use of radioactive metal isotopes (aka ‘radiometals’) have allowed huge advances in both diagnosis – using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) – and targeted radiotherapy with alpha-, beta- and Meitner-Auger electron-emitting nuclei. Indeed, the clinical success, and recent FDA approvals of 177Lu-DOTATATE (Lutathera), 68Ga-PSMA-617 (Locametz), and 177Lu-PSMA-617 (Pluvicto) clearly demonstrates the potential of radiometal-based imaging and theragnostic agents for patient stratification and treatment.
Increasingly, the production of, and innovative bifunctional chelation chemistry for ‘the next generation’ of medical radiometals is being reported – with an ever expanding ‘nuclear chocolate box’ of imaging and therapeutic isotopes potentially available. In particular, the development of ‘theranostic radiometal pairs’ – in which chemically-identical radiometal-chelate systems are designed for imaging and radiotherapy – is of increasing interest.
Radiometals for imaging and theranostics have clearly demonstrated profound success in the clinic, and with the development of the ‘next generation’ of radiometal agents ongoing comes huge potential. However, the clinical translation and eventual approval of these agents is dependent on various factors:
• The efficient, reproducible production and purification of radiometals
• The synthesis of bifunctional chelator systems allowing stable chelation under mild conditions
• Comprehensive evaluation of the pharmacokinetic and radiobiological properties of these agents – as well as dosimetry analyses
For many ‘newer’ radiometals of clinical interest, these factors have not been fully addressed. In this Research Topic, we hope to highlight the innovative research being performed to address some or all of these issues.
The aim of this Research Topic is to cover the recent advances related to the emerging area of radiometals, including (but not limited to):
• New radiometal production and purification methodologies
• Improved bifunctional chelator systems
• The (pre)clinical application and in vivo validation of novel radiometal-based agents
• Radiobiology and dosimetry
Increasingly, the production of, and innovative bifunctional chelation chemistry for ‘the next generation’ of medical radiometals is being reported – with an ever expanding ‘nuclear chocolate box’ of imaging and therapeutic isotopes potentially available. In particular, the development of ‘theranostic radiometal pairs’ – in which chemically-identical radiometal-chelate systems are designed for imaging and radiotherapy – is of increasing interest.
Radiometals for imaging and theranostics have clearly demonstrated profound success in the clinic, and with the development of the ‘next generation’ of radiometal agents ongoing comes huge potential. However, the clinical translation and eventual approval of these agents is dependent on various factors:
• The efficient, reproducible production and purification of radiometals
• The synthesis of bifunctional chelator systems allowing stable chelation under mild conditions
• Comprehensive evaluation of the pharmacokinetic and radiobiological properties of these agents – as well as dosimetry analyses
For many ‘newer’ radiometals of clinical interest, these factors have not been fully addressed. In this Research Topic, we hope to highlight the innovative research being performed to address some or all of these issues.
The aim of this Research Topic is to cover the recent advances related to the emerging area of radiometals, including (but not limited to):
• New radiometal production and purification methodologies
• Improved bifunctional chelator systems
• The (pre)clinical application and in vivo validation of novel radiometal-based agents
• Radiobiology and dosimetry
Keywords: radiometals, diagnosis, theragnostic, production
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