Separation of Clinical Grade 188Re from 188W Using Polymer Embedded Nanocrystalline Titania

Currently, ¹⁸⁸Re is obtained from ¹⁸⁸W/¹⁸⁸Re chromatographic generator containing alumina which has a limited capacity (~80 mg Wg^?1) for ¹⁸⁸W. This results in high bolus volumes of ¹⁸⁸Re, which often needs to be concentrated before radiolabeling. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using polymer embedded nano crystalline titania (TiP), a novel high capacity sorbent material (~300 mg Wg^?1), for developing a ¹⁸⁸W/¹⁸⁸Re chromatographic generator. A TiP based chromatographic ¹⁸⁸W/¹⁸⁸Re generator was developed in which ¹⁸⁸Re could be eluted with 0.9% saline solution. About 90% of the ¹⁸⁸Re could be recovered in the first 4–5 mL of total activity with more than 80% yield. The purity of ¹⁸⁸Re is adequate for clinical applications.