New Ways of Producing Tc-99m and Tc-99m Generators (Beyond Fission and Cyclotron Methods)

Technetium-99m radiopharmaceuticals are the major diagnostic tools in clinical practice of nuclear medicine worldwide covering 35 million procedures annually. The agents play important role in the diagnosis of cancer patients, cardiac patients and many other conditions. One of the main reasons is because Tc-99m is the decay product of longer-lived Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) and can be readily available from a generator system (Mo-99/Tc-99m). The major part of Mo-99 for generator development is coming from fission route which is a well-established method. Due to recent Mo-99 crisis, many interesting achievements in the development of new methods of Tc-99m and Mo-99 production have taken place. This Coordinated Research Project (CRP) will identify new technical aspects of the production and quality control of Mo-99 and Tc-99m and T-99m generators with focus on photodynamic route through the reaction Mo-100(g,n)Mo-99 reaction, as well as generator development using high capacity adsorbents for Mo to be employed with low to medium specific activity Mo-99 for application and distribution among MS. The objectives for this CRP are to:Formulate guidelines to enhance and strengthen the expertise and capability of Member States in application of alternative routes for the production of Tc-99m and Mo-99, (in particular using linear accelerators), as well as the performance optimization of low/medium specific activity generators by improving the materials and accessory instruments.