Perth, Australia is one of the world's most isolated cities, and while 'conventional' PET isotopes must be synthesized and utilized locally, this is not so for several PET radiometals. Following establishment of a sole-supplier regional PET-radiopharmaceuticals service our group strategically pursued radiometal isotopes, when no sources were readily available in Australia; exemplifying what is achievable when a medical cyclotron is embedded in a major medical physics/engineering department.An 18/9MeV cyclotron was installed in 2003 for clinical PET. Subsequently, publications by the Michael J. Welch group (plus a notable discussion with him at WTTC12, 2008) inspired our cyclotron team that PET radiometal isotopes were an 'horizon' topic.  Local design and construction of solid-targetry engineering & chemistry systems were implemented, enabling routine production of 61Cu, 64Cu and 89Zr as certified products for shipping to collaborators Australia-wide.  Research utilizing novel radiopharmaceuticals is underway, for preclinical oncologic imaging and first-in-human clinical trials.

Development of a teaching-hospital based PET radiometal isotopes production and investigational facility in Perth, Australia: Strategic relevance for national biomedical research

245th National Meeting (2013)

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