Cyclotron-based production of the theranostic radionuclide scandium-47 from titanium target

Abstract Production of scandium-47 as a therapeutic radionuclide and mighty in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) technique has been investigated in this paper. The excitation function of 48 , 49 , 50 , nat Ti(p,x) leading to the formation of 47Sc were computed using the TALYS-1.9 code to recommend the suitable energy range. Monte Carlo simulation code MCNPX was employed to estimate the integral yield based on the medium cyclotron. The target thickness was calculated using the SRIM code. A developed targetry system was designed and manufactured. An experimental yield for the formation of 47Sc was obtained on about 4.25 MBq/( μ A h) by the proton interaction on nat Ti-foil at 5 μ Ah total current beam. The Liquid-Liquid Extraction (LLX) method was employed for the separation of radiochemical impurities. Quality control was performed by γ -ray spectrometry. A good agreement between experimental and simulated results can be certified for the procedure.