FROM OXYGEN-18 AND CYCLIC SULFATE ESTER-

AN AUTOMATIC SYNTHESIS MODULE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF F18-FLUORODEOXYGLUCOSE (FDG) IS PLANNED. THIS META- BOLIC ANALOG HAS BEEN USED EXTENSIVELY IN THE POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHIC (PET) STUDIES OF CEREBRAL AND AND MYOCARDIAL METABOLIC RATES AND IS A HIGHLY DESIR- ABLE AGENT TO BE READILY AVAILABLE IN A PET CENTER SETTING. MUCH WORK HAS BEEN EXPENDED ON FDG SYNTHESIS, BUT AN AUTOMATED, RELIABLE SYSTEM BEGINNING WITH THE HIGH-YIELD, OXYGEN-18 PROTON REACTION IS NOT AVAILABLE. THE INVESTIGATION WILL PROCEED ON TWO LEVELS: (1) FOCUS ON TARGET CHAMBER APPROACHES TO PRODUCE SYNTHETICALLY USEFUL (METAL ION-FREE) F18; AND (2) REFINEMENT OF AN EXISTING MANUAL SYNTHESIS APPARATUS INTO A SEMIAUTO- MATIC SYNTHESIS MODULE. USE OF THE OXYGEN-18 REACTION ROUTE TO FLUORINE-18 WILL HAVE TWO MAJOR BENEFITS: (1) ELIMINATION OF A REQUIREMENT FOR HANDLING TOXIC, HIGHLY REACTIVE FLUORINE GAS IN THE CONVENTIONAL TARGET SYSTEM; AND (2) A HIGHER YIELD OF FLUORINE-18 RESULTING IN SHORTER IRRADIATION TIMES (INCREASED PRODUCTION RATE, HIGHER STUDY THROUGHPUT). THE SYNTHETIC REQUIRE- MENTS FOR AQUEOUS F18-FLUORIDE, FREE FROM INTERFERING CATIONS, NECESSITATES EXAMINING TWO TARGET CHAMBER CONFIGURATIONS: (1) AN OXYGEN GAS TARGET THAT CAN BE RECYCLED; AND (2) AN OXYGEN-18 WATER TARGET THAT IS EASILY TRANSPORTED FROM CYCLOTRON TO SYNTHESIS SITE. BOTH OF THESE TARGETRY ROUTES WILL BE EVALUATED UNDER HIGH-BEAM CURRENT CONDITIONS ON THE COMPANY'S 11 MEV PROTON CYCLOTRON BEING TESTED AT BERKELEY. TARGET WINDOW FAILURE, TEMPERATURE RISE EFFECTS ON TARGET CHEMISTRY, METAL ION OR OTHER CONTAMINANT LEVELS, AND PRODUCTION RATES WILL BE TESTED. CONCURRENTLY, THE FDG SYNTHESIS ROUTE UNDER USE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN WILL BE REFINED FROM A REMOTE BUT MANUAL SYNTHESIS INTO A SEMIAUTOMATIC PROCESS. TARGETRY AND PROCESS CHEMISTRY WILL BE INTEGRATED AND A DEDICATED PROTOTYPE "ONE-POT" SYNTHESIS SYSTEM WILL BE BUILT AROUND AN IBM PC STD BUS TO CONFORM WITH THE STANDARD CHOSEN BY THE COMPANY FOR THE 11 MEV CYCLOTRON. SUCH A MODULE WILL NOT BE LIMITED TO USE ON THAT ACCELERATOR. THIS MODULE WILL BE TESTED FOR EASE OF OPERATION, RELIABILITY, AND PURITY AND USEFULNESS OF THE FDG.