Harvard-MIT research program in short-lived radiopharmaceuticals. Final report

The Harvard-MIT Research Program in Short-lived Radiopharmaceuticals was established in 1977 to foster interaction among groups working in radiopharmaceutical chemistry at Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts General Hospital. To this was added a group at The Childrens Hospital. From these collaborations and building upon the special strengths of the participating individuals, laboratories and institutions, it was hoped that original approaches would be found for the design of new, clinically useful, radiolabeled compounds. The original thrust of this proposal included: (a) examination of the coordination chemistry of technetium as a basis for rational radiopharmaceutical design, (b) development of an ultrashort-lived radionuclide generator for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease in newborns, (c) synthesis of receptor-site-directed halopharmaceuticals, (d) improved facile labeling of complex molecules with positron-emitting radionuclides. The authors` 1986 proposal was oriented toward organs and disease, emphasizing radiolabeled agents that delineate specific functions and the distribution of receptors in brain, heart, and tumors. In 1989, they further refined their purposes and focused on two major aims: (a) synthesis and utilization of neutral technetium and rhenium complexes of high specific activity, and (b) development of new approaches to the radiolabeling of proteins, peptides, immunoglobulins, and their fragments. In 1992, the authors amended this proposal to concentrate their efforts on biologically active peptides and proteins for targeted radiodiagnosis and therapy

Harvard-MIT research program in short-lived radiopharmaceuticals

This report presents research on radiopharmaceuticals. The following topics are discussed: antibody labeling with positron-emitting radionuclides; antibody modification for radioimmune imaging; labeling antibodies; evaluation of technetium acetlyacetonates as potential cerebral blood flow agents; and studies in technetium chemistry. (CBS

Development and radiotherapeutic application of /sup 211/At-labeled radiopharmaceuticals. Progress report, March 1, 1981-February 28, 1982

This project is concerned with developing the potential of alpha-emitting radionuclides as agents for radiotherapy. Alpha-emitters seem ideally suited for his application because their high linear energy transfer and short range permit the deposition of considerable energy in a very small volume of tissue. Unlike the beta particles of /sup 131/I which have a range of about 1 to 2 mm in tissue, 5 to 7 MeV alpha particles would traverse only a few cell diameters. Among the available alpha-emitters, /sup 211/At appears most promising for therapeutic applications because, (1) it has some chemical similarities to iodine, an element that can readily be incorporated into numerous proteins and peptides, (2) it has a half-life that is long enough to permit chemical manipulation yet short enough to minimize destruction of healthy cells due to degradation of the label over time, (3) it can be produced conveniently using a cyclotron, and (4) alpha emission is associated with 100% of its decays with no accompanying beta emission. In the past year the evaluation of an astatine-tellurium colloid as an agent for the destruction of malignant ascites has been completed. The therapeutic efficacy of /sup 211/At-tellurium colloid has been compared with that of several beta-emitting radiocolloids. Studies on the application of monoclonal antibodies as carriers for selective delineation and destruction of malignant cell populations have also been initiated