The Cyclotron-Radiochemistry Core Facility was established to provide investigators institution-wide with radionuclides and to incorporate these radionuclides into radiolabeled pharmaceuticals and radiolabeled antibodies for both basic research investigations and patient formulations.
The facility consists of three major elements working closely together to provide the following services:
The Cyclotron Facility
The Cyclotron Facility is responsible for radionuclide production. Our facility provides short- and medium-lived, position emitting radionuclides for research and clinical applications, each with half-lifes ranging from a few minutes to a few days.
The Small Molecule Radiochemistry Section
The Small Molecule Radiochemistry Section incorporates cyclotron-produced positron-emitting radionuclides into radiochemicals and radiopharmaceuticals. In combination with PET imaging (positron emission tomography), these radiopharmaceuticals are used as diagnostic agents, designed to delineate a physiological process associated with cancer in patients. The powerful combination of radiolabeled tracers and PET imaging can provide information on functional changes well ahead of the structural changes other imaging tools can identify. Radiolabeled pharmaceuticals, which decay with time, are synthesized individually on the premises for both research and clinical studies.
The Antibody Labeling Section
The Antibody Labeling Section is responsible for the radiolabeling of peptides and monoclonal antibodies as requested by preclinical and clinical investigators for both cancer diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Applied as a targeted therapy, radioimmunotherapy utilizes these radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies to locate tumor cells and deliver a potentially lethal dose of radiation to the cancer cells without harming normal cells. Radionuclides are either produced on the in-house cyclotron or are obtained from commercially available sources.
