Automatic concentration and reformulation of PET tracers via microfluidic membrane distillation. Issue 10 (26th April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chao, Philip H.; Collins, Jeffery; Argus, Joseph P.; Tseng, Wei-Yu; Lee, Jason T.; Michael van Dam, R.
• Is Part Of: Lab on a chip. Volume 17:Issue 10(2017)
• Page Start: 1802
• Page End: 1816
• Publication Date: 2017-04-26
• Subjects: Miniature electronic equipment -- Periodicals; Combinatorial chemistry -- Periodicals; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 543.0813
• DOI: 10.1039/c6lc01569g
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-0197

Abstract

Abstract : We present an automated microfluidic platform relying on sweeping gas membrane distillation for rapid concentration and formulation of PET tracers for preclinical imaging applications. Abstract : Short-lived radiolabeled tracers for positron emission tomography (PET) must be rapidly synthesized, purified, and formulated into injectable solution just prior to imaging. Current radiosynthesizers are generally designed for clinical use, and the HPLC purification and SPE formulation processes often result in a final volume that is too large for preclinical and emerging in vitro applications. Conventional technologies and techniques for reducing this volume tend to be slow, resulting in radioactive decay of the product, and often require manual handling of the radioactive materials. We present a fully-automated microfluidic system based on sweeping gas membrane distillation to rapidly perform the concentration and formulation process. After detailed characterization of the system, we demonstrate fast and efficient concentration and formulation of several PET tracers, evaluate residual solvent content to establish the safety of the formulated tracers for injection, and show that the formulated tracer can be used for in vivo imaging.