Fully automated synthesis of F-18fluorodihydrotestosterone(F-18FDHT) using the FlexLab module

摘要

Imaging of androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer using F-18 FDHT is becoming increasingly popular. With the radiolabelling precursor now commercially available, developing a fully automated synthesis of F-18 FDHT is important. We have fully automated the synthesis of F-18 FDHT using the iPhase FlexLab module using only commercially available components. Total synthesis time was 90 min, radiochemical yields were 25-33 (n = 11). Radiochemical purity of the final formulation was >99 and specific activity was > 18.5 GBq/mu mol for all batches. This method can be up-scaled as desired, thus making it possible to study multiple patients in a day. Furthermore, our procedure uses 4mg of precursor only and is therefore cost-effective. The synthesis has now been validated at Austin Health and is currently used for F-18 FDHT studies in patients. We believe that this method can easily adapted by other modules to further widen the availability of F-18 FDHT.