Canadian radioisotope supplier MDS Nordion of Kanata, ON, is now offering commercially available rhenium-186 (Re-186) and high-specific-activity lutetium-177 (Lu-177).
The initiative comes in response to growing demand from the global nuclear medicine community for isotopes used in targeted radiotherapy research for the development of new cancer therapies, according to the firm.
Lu-177’s relatively long 6.65-day half-life enables more sophisticated procedures to be used to purify and synthesize the radiopharmaceutical for commercial use, and also makes Lu-177 easier to combine with biologically active compounds. Lu-177 is a low-energy beta emitter, providing a tissue-penetration range that may be more effective for
smaller tumors, the company said.
Re-186 is currently being used for pain palliation from cancerous metastases in bones, and is being investigated for a range of radiotherapeutic applications. Both Lu-177 and Re-186 emit gamma radiation that enables diagnostic imaging of tissue.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
March 2, 2004
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