Modular Approaches in PET-tracer Development: Radiotracer Design, Synthesis and Automation for Prostate Cancer and Heart Failure

Positron emission tomography (PET) is one of the main medical imaging techniques and is instrumental in diagnosis of numerous diseases in the fields of neuroscience, cardiology and oncology by visualizing physiological processes within the human body. This imaging modality is based on specific medicines that bind to biological indicators. In the case of a different concentration of these indicators between the healthy and diseased state, these indicators can be used for diagnosis. For obtaining diagnostically relevant image, the PET medicines (radiotracers) are radioactively labeled.
In this thesis, the different building blocks are described that are required to develop radioactive medicines, which can be used to examine prostate cancer and heart failure. In order to achieve this, the known biological indicators related to both diseases were analyzed towards the development of the best possible radiotracer that provides a high contrast PET image. This thesis also elaborates two types of medicines: One can easily be modified for imaging techniques and the other focuses on strengthening the affinity of the medicines to the biological indicator.
The preparation of the radioactive medicines needs to be automated to guarantee a reliable process. Herein, a synthesis-automation robot is introduced that is able to synthesize not only the newly developed radiotracer but also radiotracers that are already used in patients. All in all, this thesis shows how these different building blocks can be used to develop medicines that can be used for medical imaging.