The Molecular Tracer and Imaging Core Facility is physically located in building 10; radiochemical laboratories are located within the NIH cyclotron facility. The radiochemistry laboratory has four hot cells for conducting high level radiochemical syntheses. High level automated radiosyntheses can be conducted with fluorine-18 utilizing either a GE single reactor synthesis system or an Eckert & Ziegler two reactor synthesis system. We have the ability to conduct low-level manual synthesis including thermal and microwave assisted synthesis. The staff has significant experience in conducting multistep chemical synthesis of small drug-like molecules and developing strategies for incorporation of F-18 (including aluminum fluoride complexes), Cu-64, Ga-68, Y-86, Zr-89 or Br-76 radionuclides. The staff also possesses experience in organic synthesis and peptide/protein conjugation with chelators and fluorophores. The laboratory is well equipped for conducting organic synthetic reactions and subsequent purification and analysis procedures. We have the following chemical analysis capabilities: NMR, HPLC, GC-MS and LC-MS. We obtain radionuclides from the Cyclotron Facility of the PET Department, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center and from commercial vendors. Gallium-68 is obtained from a commercial Ge-68/Ga-68 generator.
The Core Facility also has laboratory space on the B3 level of the Magnuson Center appropriate for live animal experiments, tissue preparation, radioactivity counting, and live animal imaging. The Facility maintains three instruments for PET, a Siemens Inveon PET system, a Mediso PET/CT system, and a Sofie G4 PET/Xray device. The facility also has a Mediso SPECT. SPECT/CT images can be obtained by use of the CT component of the Mediso PET/CT with co-registration. In addition, the Facility maintains three systems for optical imaging; a CRI Maestro II, an IVIS Lumina II, and an IVIS Spectrum.
