Uranium 230 (t1/2 = 20.8 d) is an alpha emitting radionuclide that has potential application in targeted alpha therapy (TAT) of cancer. Uranium 230 is also the parent of 226Th, another potential TAT isotope with a much shorter half life (31 min). Uranium-230’s parent isotope 230Pa (t1/2 = 17.4 d), in turn, can be produced by proton irradiation of thorium metal (monoisotopic primordial 232Th) targets. Preliminary 230Pa production runs were conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Isotope Production Facility (LANL IPF) exposing thin Th metal disks to a proton beam of energies 15 to 30 MeV, followed by radiochemical separation of 230Pa from the irradiated target matrix. The measured 230Pa production yields were found to exceed the predicted values in most of the experiments that were performed. This data will inform further production efforts for providing 230Pa/230U for clinical trials. Moreover, a dual generator system was designed and tested to provide a reliable supply of 226Th: uranium 230 can be conveniently supplied from a 230Pa/230U generator. The 230U/226Th generator, in turn, provides thorium 226 in high radiochemical yield and purity and in a form that is amenable to direct labeling with chelates for use in targeted alpha therapy.

Production and recovery of targeted alpha therapy nuclide 230U via 232Th(p,3n)230Pa at the Los Alamos isotope production facility

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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