Radiotracer Chemistry

The ability to use short-live isotopes for all applications stems from highly efficient and rapid chemical manipulations; yet a huge deficiency exists in the number of chemical transformations available for carbon-11, nitrogen-13, and fluorine-18 incorporation. For the potential of these isotopes to be more fully realized in applications of energy, environment and health, a fundamental “took-kit” of reactions will be expanded by developing novel chemical reactions, methods, and purification strategies. We accomplish this in the context of the production and purification of a variety of radiotracers that serve as scientific tools to measure and image the disposition, cellular targeting and short and long-term kinetics of organic compounds and nanoparticles in biological systems. This will build on Brookhaven’s history of cyclotron targetry chemistry (and on our recent breakthrough in C-11 chemistry, in the novel and rapid synthesis of [11C]formaldehyde) to develop new one-carbon labeled precursors and new methods for their incorporation into complex molecules. These studies are undertaken with a view to the discovery of methods which are mild and simple and can be translated to other labs without the need for expensive equipment or unusual chemicals.

Last Modified: May 27, 2009
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One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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