Posters
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Staff
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Translational Science
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Introduction: Radiopharmaceuticals play a critical role in cancer diagnosis, staging, and therapy. Recent successes in radiotheranostics (which utilize targeted radiopharmaceutical pairs for both diagnosis and therapy) have led to improved outcomes in challenging clinical settings, such as neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. Despite the tremendous potential, development of new radiopharmaceutical agents and widespread distribution is hampered by the extreme costs associated with production and delivery. Most hospitals require a substantial investment in facility and operational equipment for radiosynthesis that in turn limits the development of radiopharmaceuticals and their impact on precision medicine. Herein, we describe a simple and inexpensive microfluidic radiochemistry platform that will enable the efficient delivery of 89Zr, 177Lu and on-demand radiopharmaceutical production at distinct points-of care. The “single use” disposable nature of our device can also eliminate cross-contamination issues commonly associated with expensive reusable systems.
Methods: To produce a miniaturized device for delivering high quality theranostic radionuclides such as 89Zr and 177Lu, a microfluidic chip was assembled using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and borosilicate glass, equipped with an on-chip purification column for retaining the purified 89Zr or 177Lu. The column is formed within a microchannel in the PDMS by using patterned pillars to trap the desired resin. To retain 89Zr or 177Lu, the micro-column was packed with the QMA and SCX resin, respectively. The 89Zr or 177Lu solution in oxalate or HCl solution (100-500 µL) was slowly loaded into the chip (100 µL/min). The micro-column was further rinsed with 1 mL of water. Whereas 89Zr was eluted with 200 µL of 1M HCl, 300 µL solution mixture composed of 4.8M sodium chloride in 0.1M HCl 177Lu was applied to elute 177Lu.
Results: In our preliminary studies, we were able to retain more than 95% of 89Zr or 177Lu using as little as 30 mg of resin on the chip. Of note, 89Zr was eluted as a chloride form through our microfluidic platform that not only allows for typical 89Zr-DFO chelation but also can effectively be complexed with DOTA – the chelator widely used in radiometal-based tracers. In addition, more than 90% of 89Zr or 177Lu can be eluted from the chip for the labeling reaction. Optimization of the resin loading procedure and quality analysis of the on-chip radionuclides are currently underway.
Conclusions: Our preliminary studies prove the feasibility of theranostic radionuclides “ship on-chip” and demonstrate the potential of producing radiometal-based radiopharmaceuticals for pre-clinical and clinical investigations using this platform.
Recommended Citation
Lin, Mai; Ta, Robert; Mc Veigh, Mark; Lapka, Joseph; Nolting, Don; Bellan, Leon Marcel; Charlton, William; and Manning, H. Charles, "Developing ship on-chip strategy of transporting theranostic radionuclides for rapid and efficient radiopharmaceutical production" (2025). Research Symposium. 95.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/posters/95
Included in
Developing ship on-chip strategy of transporting theranostic radionuclides for rapid and efficient radiopharmaceutical production
Introduction: Radiopharmaceuticals play a critical role in cancer diagnosis, staging, and therapy. Recent successes in radiotheranostics (which utilize targeted radiopharmaceutical pairs for both diagnosis and therapy) have led to improved outcomes in challenging clinical settings, such as neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. Despite the tremendous potential, development of new radiopharmaceutical agents and widespread distribution is hampered by the extreme costs associated with production and delivery. Most hospitals require a substantial investment in facility and operational equipment for radiosynthesis that in turn limits the development of radiopharmaceuticals and their impact on precision medicine. Herein, we describe a simple and inexpensive microfluidic radiochemistry platform that will enable the efficient delivery of 89Zr, 177Lu and on-demand radiopharmaceutical production at distinct points-of care. The “single use” disposable nature of our device can also eliminate cross-contamination issues commonly associated with expensive reusable systems.
Methods: To produce a miniaturized device for delivering high quality theranostic radionuclides such as 89Zr and 177Lu, a microfluidic chip was assembled using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and borosilicate glass, equipped with an on-chip purification column for retaining the purified 89Zr or 177Lu. The column is formed within a microchannel in the PDMS by using patterned pillars to trap the desired resin. To retain 89Zr or 177Lu, the micro-column was packed with the QMA and SCX resin, respectively. The 89Zr or 177Lu solution in oxalate or HCl solution (100-500 µL) was slowly loaded into the chip (100 µL/min). The micro-column was further rinsed with 1 mL of water. Whereas 89Zr was eluted with 200 µL of 1M HCl, 300 µL solution mixture composed of 4.8M sodium chloride in 0.1M HCl 177Lu was applied to elute 177Lu.
Results: In our preliminary studies, we were able to retain more than 95% of 89Zr or 177Lu using as little as 30 mg of resin on the chip. Of note, 89Zr was eluted as a chloride form through our microfluidic platform that not only allows for typical 89Zr-DFO chelation but also can effectively be complexed with DOTA – the chelator widely used in radiometal-based tracers. In addition, more than 90% of 89Zr or 177Lu can be eluted from the chip for the labeling reaction. Optimization of the resin loading procedure and quality analysis of the on-chip radionuclides are currently underway.
Conclusions: Our preliminary studies prove the feasibility of theranostic radionuclides “ship on-chip” and demonstrate the potential of producing radiometal-based radiopharmaceuticals for pre-clinical and clinical investigations using this platform.
