Developing targeted α-therapies has the potential to transform how diseases are treated. In these interventions, targeting vectors are labelled with α-emitting radioisotopes that deliver destructive radiation discretely to diseased cells while simultaneously sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. Widespread implementation requires advances in non-invasive imaging technologies that rapidly assay therapeutics. Towards this end, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has emerged as one of the most informative diagnostic techniques. Unfortunately, many promising α-emitting isotopes such as ²²⁵Ac and ²²⁷Th are incompatible with PET imaging. Here we overcame this obstacle by developing large-scale (Ci-scale) production and purification methods for ¹³⁴Ce. Subsequent radiolabelling and in vivo PET imaging experiments in a small animal model demonstrated that ¹³⁴Ce (and its ¹³⁴La daughter) could be used as a PET imaging candidate for ²²⁵Ac^III (with reduced ¹³⁴Ce^III) or ²²⁷Th^IV (with oxidized ¹³⁴Ce^IV). Evaluating these data alongside X-ray absorption spectroscopy results demonstrated how success relied on rigorously controlling the Ce^III/Ce^IV redox couple.

开发有针对性的α疗法具有改变疾病治疗方式的潜力。在这些干预措施中，靶向载体用发射α的放射性同位素标记，该放射性同位素将破坏性辐射离散地传递给患病细胞，同时又保留了周围的健康组织。广泛的实施要求快速检测治疗方法的无创成像技术的进步。为此，正电子发射断层扫描（PET）成像已成为最有用的诊断技术之一。不幸的是，许多有前途的发射α的同位素，例如²²⁵ Ac和²²⁷ Th与PET成像不兼容。在这里，我们通过开发¹³⁴的大规模（Ci规模）生产和纯化方法克服了这一障碍铈 随后在一个小动物模型中进行的放射性标记和体内PET成像实验表明，可以将¹³⁴ Ce（及其¹³⁴ La子代）用作²²⁵ Ac ^III（还原的¹³⁴ Ce ^III）或²²⁷ Th ^IV（氧化的）的PET成像候选物。¹³⁴ Ce ^IV）。与X射线吸收光谱法结果一起评估这些数据表明，成功取决于严格控制Ce ^III / Ce ^IV氧化还原对。