Radiopharmaceuticals for Diagnosis and Therapy

In the last decades, the development and production of pharmaceutical agents using radionuclides is a burgeoning field for molecular imaging, radiotherapy and medical research. This interdisciplinary approach exploits fast and non-invasive modalities for: (i) radiodiagnostic imaging of several diseases and real-time clinical monitoring via single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET); (ii) radiotherapy via emission of particulate, ionizing radiation, alfa (α) and beta (β−) particles, and Auger electrons, depositing energy in tissues and causing cell death. Several nuclides for imaging (11C, 18F, 99mTc, 64Cu, 68Ga, 89Zr, 111In) and therapy (90Y, 131I, 153Sm, 188Re, 223Ra, 225Ac) have been successfully incorporated into radiopharmaceuticals FDA-approved or under ongoing clinical trials.