Extraction centrifugal generator of 188Re and radiopharmaceuticals based on it for radionuclide therapy

The results of the development of a medical-purpose extraction 188Re generator and of 188Re radiopharmaceuticals are presented. The main advantage of this generator is the possibility of using as starting material tungsten oxide of natural isotope composition, irradiated in a reactor with medium neutron flux [(1.0–1.4) × 1014 n cm–2 s–1]. Separation of the parent 188W and daughter 188Re was performed in a centrifugal semicounter-current contactor developed at the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences. The 188Re yield is about 90%, and the radiochemical purity (Na188ReO4 content) is ≥95%. The content of the 188W impurity is less than 1 × 10–3% relative to the 188Re activity, and the content of other radionuclides is less than 1 × 10–4%. The resulting Na188ReO4 solution was registered as “Active pharmaceutical substance” and was used in the development and subsequent preclinical trials of several radiopharmaceuticals for radionuclide therapy of pain syndrome accompanying the development of cancer metastases into the skeleton, and also for radiosynovectomy.