Fullerene Radiopharmaceuticals

Abstract

Radiopharmaceuticals are radioactively tagged compounds used primarily to diagnose disease in humans. They allow the imaging of physiologic or disease-state processes with an external gamma ray camera, typically using a simple, two-dimensional Anger camera, a single photon emission computed tomograph (SPECT instrument), or a positron emission tomograph (PET instrument). Short-lived isotopes give little radiation dose and are greatly preferred for these purposes. The mainstay of diagnostic nuclear medicine is the ⁹⁹Mo/^99mTc generator, which is used to produce ^99mTc sodium pertechnetate conveniently and in high purity for formulation of radiopharmaceuticals. Common ^99mTc agents include those for imaging bone cancer (^99mTc methylene diphosphonate, or MDP), radioaerosols of ^99mTc for examining lung ventilation (Technegas), ^99mTc Cardiolite™ for assessing coronary artery blockages, and ^99mTc Miraluma™ for diagnosing breast cancer. The common theme with these agents is the use of carrier molecules to direct a short-lived bound radioactive isotope through a physiological process to permit the process’ observation.