• Radioisotope journal
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.66-67
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• 2005

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.3017-3026
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• 2022

The ¹³¹Cs radioisotope with a short half-life time and high average radiation energy can treat the cancer effectively in prostate brachytherapy. The typical ¹³¹Cs production processes have a separation step of the cesium from ¹³¹Ba to obtain a high specific radioactivity. Herein, we suggested a novel ¹³¹Cs separation method based on the Ba²⁺ adsorption of alginate beads. It is necessary to reduce the affinity of alginate beads to cesium ions for a high production yield. The carboxyl group of the alginate beads was replaced by a sulfonate group to reduce the cesium affinity while reinforcing their affinity to barium ions. The modified beads exhibited superior Ba²⁺ adsorption performances to native beads. In the fixed-bed column tests, the saturation time and adsorption capacity could be estimated with the Yoon-Nelson model in various injection flow rates and initial concentrations. In terms of the Cs elution, the modified alginate showed better performance (i.e., an elution over 88%) than the native alginate (i.e., an elution below 10%), indicating that the functional group modification was effective in reducing the affinity to cesium ions. Therefore, the separation of cesium from the barium using the modified alginate is expected to be an additional option to produce ¹³¹Cs.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.156-161
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• 2016

When air discharged from a radioisotope production facility is contaminated with radiation, the public may be exposed to radiation. The objective of this study is to manage such radiation exposure. We measured the airborne radioactivity concentration at a 30 MeV cyclotron radioisotope production facility to assess whether the exhaust gas was contaminated. Additionally, we investigted the radioactive contamination of the air filter for efficient air purification and radiation safety control. To measure the airborne radiation concentration, specimens were collected weekly for 4 h after the beginning of the radioisotope production. Regarding the air purifier, five specimens were collected at different positions of each filter-pre-filter, high-efficiency particulate air filter, and charcoal filter-installed in the cyclotron production room. The concentrations of F-18, I-123, I-131, and Tl-201 generated in the radioiodine production room were $13.5Bq/m^3$, $27.0Bq/m^3$, $0.10Bq/m^3$, and $11.5Bq/m^3$, respectively; the concentrations of F-18, I-123, and I-131 produced in the radioisotope production room were $0.05Bq/m^3$, $16.1Bq/m^3$, and $0.45Bq/m^3$, correspondingly; and those of F-18, I-123, I-131, and Tl-201 generated in the accelerator room were $2.07Bq/m^3$, $53.0Bq/m^3$, $0.37Bq/m^3$, and $0.15Bq/m^3$, respectively. The maximum radiation concentration of I-123 generated in the radioiodine production room was 1,820 Bq/g, which can be disposed after 2 days. The maximum radiation concentration of Tl-202 generated in the radioisotope production room was 205 Bq/g, and this isotope must be stored for 53 days. The I-123 generated in the radioiodine production room had a maximum concentration of 1,530 Bq/g and must be stored for 2 days. The maximum radiation concentration of Na-22 generated in the radioisotope production room was 0.18 Bq/g and this isotope must be disposed after 827 days. To manage the exhaust, the efficiency of air purification must be enhanced by selecting an air purifier with a long life and determining the appropriate replacement time by examining the differential pressure through systematic measurements of the airborne radiation contamination level.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2022

Anti-cancer and therapeutic effects using therapeutic radioisotopes have been demonstrated by various studies, and it is well-known that therapeutic radioisotopes are useful in cancer treatment. Recently, one of the therapeutic radioisotopes, scandium is emerging as a radioisotope applicable to PET imaging (⁴³Sc, ⁴⁴Sc) and therapy (⁴⁷Sc) in cancer theranostic approach. However, ⁴⁷Sc has little known radiobiological and therapeutic efficacy compared to other therapeutic radioisotopes. Here, we investigated the quality and therapeutic efficacy of ⁴⁷Sc radioisotope produced by our production/isolation technology at the research reactor 'HANARO' in KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). We showed that the therapeutic efficacy of ⁴⁷Sc, produced by our production/isolation technology, effectively suppressed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Consequently, these results suggest that the high quality of the produced ⁴⁷Sc by our production/isolation technology enables the development of therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment and radiopharmaceuticals using ⁴⁷Sc.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2003

Manufacturing facilities of the pharmaceuticals must meet certain level of the cleanness required so that foreign substances such as dust, moisture, heat, microorganism, or virus do not contaminate the product. In case of radiopharmaceuticals for medical treatment and diagnosis, not only should the operators and environment be protected from radiation but also need to be isolated from the foreign contaminant. Therefore, manufacturing facilities for radiopharmaceuticals must satisfy the design standards of both hot cell and clean room which are specified by GMP. However, standards of maintaining negative pressure for preventing spread of radioactive contaminant in isolated facilities conflict with the standards of maintaining positive pressure for keeping cleanness. To solve this problem, air pressure of hot cell was designed lower than in the adjacent area to meet standards of the radiation safety. To keep higher cleanness in certain part of the hot cell for filling, minimal relative positive pressure allows. In order to effectively maintain the cleanness that is required for production of Tc-99m generator, which takes 70% of whole demand of radiopharmaceuticals, the rooms placed in each side of production room are used as a buffer area and three lead hot cells are installed in production room. In this research, we established the appropriate engineered design concept for Tc-99m generator manufacturing facility, which satisfies both GMP cleanness standard for preventing particles, bacteria, other contaminants and the regulations of radiation safety for supervising and controlling the amount of radiation exposure and exhausted radioactivity. And the concept of multi-barrier buffer zones is introduced to apply negative air pressure for hot cell with first priority and to continue relative positive air pressure for clean room.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.613-623
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• 2016

Molybdenum-99 ($^{99}Mo$) is the most important isotope because its daughter isotope, technetium-99m ($^{99m}Tc$), has been the most widely used medical radioisotope for more than 50 years, accounting for > 80% of total nuclear diagnostics worldwide. In this review, radiochemical routes for the production of $^{99}Mo$, and the aspects for selecting a suitable process strategy are discussed from the historical viewpoint of $^{99}Mo$ technology developments. Most of the industrial-scale $^{99}Mo$ processes have been based on the fission of $^{235}U$. Recently, important issues have been raised for the conversion of fission $^{99}Mo$ targets from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium (LEU). The development of new LEU targets with higher density was requested to compensate for the loss of $^{99}Mo$ yield, caused by a significant reduction of $^{235}U$ enrichment, from the conversion. As the dramatic increment of intermediate level liquid waste is also expected from the conversion, an effective strategy to reduce the waste generation from the fission $^{99}Mo$ production is required. The mitigation of radioxenon emission from medical radioisotope production facilities is discussed in relation with the monitoring of nuclear explosions and comprehensive nuclear test ban. Lastly, the $^{99}Mo$ production process paired with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute's own LEU target is proposed as one of the most suitable processes for the LEU target.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1526-1531
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• 2024

¹³¹I is a fission product produced in a nuclear reactor by irradiating tellurium dioxide, with a half-life of 8.02 day. The most important and widely used method for making ¹³¹I is irradiation using a nuclear reactor and post-irradiation followed by dry distillation. The advantage of the dry distillation process is that the process and the equipment are relatively simple, namely TeO₂ (m.p. 750 ℃), which can withstand heating during reactor irradiation. Based on TeO₂ irradiation by neutron following the technique of dry distillation was explained for production of ¹³¹I on a large scale. A dry distillation followed the radioisotope production operation using the 30 MW GA Siwabessy nuclear reactor to meet national demand. TeO₂ targets are 25 and 50 g irradiated for 87-100 h. The resulting ¹³¹I activity is 20.29339-368.50335GBq. According to the requirements imposed on the radionuclide purity of the preparation, the contribution of ¹³¹I training in the resulting preparation was not less than 99.9 %

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.231-236
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• 2001

A brief introduction is presented on the radiation safety studies at Tohoku University Cyclotron & Radioisotope Center. Studies on two subject are described; (1) measurement of the thick target neutron yield and radioisotope production / activation cross section for ten's of MeV neutrons and ions using K=110 Tohoku University cyclotron to provide basicdata for accelerator shielding, and (2) development of techniques for high sensitive radiation detection and profile measurement using an Imaging Plate which is a high sensitive two-dimensional radiation sensor. Application of the Imaging Plate techniques to localization of very weak radioactivity and to neutron profile measurement is described.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1701-1705
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• 2005

We have established an efficient method for the synthesis of the arylpiperazine derivatives in which the acylation of 2-aminopyridine, the coupling reaction of the acyl compound with piperazines, and reduction of the arylpiperazines were performed under a microwave irradiation (300 W) to afford the corresponding target compounds in quantitative yields. In all cases, the reaction times were remarkably reduced when compared with those of the conventional method.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2015

Radioisotopes emitting low-range highly ionizing radiation such as ${\beta}$-particles are of increasing significance in internal radiotherapy. Among the ${\beta}$-particle emitting radioisotopes, $^{67}Cu$ is an attractive radioisotope for various nuclear medicine applications due to its medium energy ${\beta}$-particle, gamma emissions, and 61.83-hour half-life, which can also be used with $^{64}Cu$ for PET imaging. The production and application of the ${\beta}$-emitting radioisotope $^{67}Cu$ for therapeutic radiopharmaceutical are outlined, and different production routes are discussed. A survey of copper chelators used for antibody labeling is provided. It has been produced via proton, alpha, neutron, and gamma irradiations followed by solvent extraction, ion exchange, electrodeposition. Clinical studies using $^{67}Cu$-labelled antibodies in lymphoma, colon carcinoma and bladder cancer patients are reviewed. Widespread use of this isotope for clinical studies and preliminary treatments has been limited by unreliable supplies, cost, and difficulty in obtaining therapeutic quantities.