Development of medicine-intended isotope production technologies at Yerevan Physics Institute

A.Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute), Alikhanyan Brothers street 2, 0036 Yerevan, Armenia

^a Corresponding author: albert@email.yerphi.am

Published online: 28 May 2015

Abstract

Accelerator-based ^99mTc and ¹²³I isotopes production technologies were created and developed at A.Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (former Yerevan Physics Institute - YerPhI). The method involves the irradiation of natural molybdenum (for ^99mTc production) and natural xenon (for ¹²³I production) using high-intensity bremsstrahlung photons from the electron beam of the LUE50 linear electron accelerator located at the YerPhI. We have developed and tested the extraction of ^99mTc and ¹²³I from the irradiated natural MoO₃ and natural Xe, respectively. The production method has been developed and shown to be successful. The current activity is devoted to creation and development of the technology of direct production ^99mTc on the ¹⁰⁰Mo as target materials using the proton beam from an IBA C18/18 cyclotron. The proton cyclotron C18/18 (producer – IBA, Belgium) was purchased and will be installed nearby AANL (YerPhI) till end 2014. The 18 MeV protons will be used to investigate accelerator-based schemes for the direct production of 99mTc. Main topics of studies will include experimental measurement of ^99mTc production yield for different energies of protons, irradiation times, intensities, development of new methods of ^99mTc extraction from irradiated materials, development of target preparation technology, development of target material recovery methods for multiple use and others.