Choice of PET radiopharmaceutical and availability are important aspects to consider for any PET imaging study. The WA NIF node is partnered with RAPID, the cyclotron laboratory at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, next door to the NIF facility. RAPID is currently undergoing a significant expansion, with installation of a new cyclotron and GMP Radiopharmaceuticals facility, allowing the generation of tailor-made PET tracers here on the QEII Health Campus.
The most commonly used PET radiopharmaceutical is FDG (2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose), and it is the most readily available. It is indicated for a broad spectrum of different cancers and other conditions, such as infection and inflammation. Other specialised radiopharmaceuticals may incorporate fluorine-18 or other isotopes like gallium-68 for targeting the receptors, plaques or amino acid transport processes involved in a host of other conditions and diseases. The availability of these for clinical research trials is subject to a number of factors, and we invite you to discuss this with us at the early planning stages of your study. The NIF Radiochemistry Fellow will assist in navigating the possibilities and options, in collaboration with the RAPID team.
Further, if there is interest in radiolabelling novel molecules for pre-clinical imaging, this can be arranged through the NIF Radiochemistry Fellow. The WA NIF node also works closely with the ACRF Cancer Imaging Facility on site, which houses the small-animal PET-CT camera. Radiochemistry specifically tailored for your animal study can be developed.
RAPID Laboratories: www.scgh.health.wa.gov.au/Our-Services/Service-directory/RAPID
Perkins Pre-clinical Imaging Facility: https://perkins.org.au/research/labs/centres-facilities/cancer-imaging-facility/
Please contact Dr Joseph Ioppolo for enquiries: [email protected]