Radiopharmaceuticals developed at the University of Missouri research reactor

The University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) has put a great deal of effort in the last two decades into development of radiotherapeutic beta emitters as nuclear medicine radiotherapeutics for malignancies. This paper describes the development of two of these drugs, {sup 153}Sm ethylenediaminetetra-methylene phosphonic acid (EDTMP) (Quadramet{trademark}) and {sup 90}Y glass microspheres (TheraSphere{trademark}). Samarium-153 EDTMP is a palliative used to treat the pain of metastatic bone cancer without the side effects of narcotic pain killers. Yttrium-90 glass microspheres are delivered via hepatic artery catheter to embolize the capillaries of liver tumors and deliver a large radiation dose for symptom palliation and life prolonging purposes.