Yttrium-90 and Rhenium-188 radiopharmaceuticals for radionuclide therapy

A key requirement for the effective implementation of the therapeutic approach, based on the intravenous administration of radiolabelled compounds (radionuclide therapy), is the sufficient availability of radionuclides with appropriate physical characteristics. Based on their nuclear properties, 188Re and 90Y are considered among the most interesting radionuclides for therapy. Furthermore, they are produced through portable generators, which provide a crucial advantage toward ensuring a worldwide distribution of these radionuclides. This publication illustrates recent studies aimed at investigating efficient quality control methods to ensure both the radionuclidic purity of generator eluates, and the proper preparation of new target specific 188Re and 90Y radiopharmaceuticals for various clinical applications.