Quantitative online isolation of ⁶⁸Ge from ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga generator eluates for purification and immediate quality control of breakthrough

Abstract

The breakthrough of ⁶⁸Ge from a ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga-generator is one of the most sensitive parameters in the context of the clinical application of ⁶⁸Ga-radiopharmaceuticals. The difficulty in its determination lies in the "spectroscopic invisibility" of ⁶⁸Ge within an excess of ⁶⁸Ga. The introduced method for determining the ⁶⁸Ge content of the ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga-generator eluate involves the quantitative separation of ⁶⁸Ga from ⁶⁸Ge, using a cation-exchanger. The eluate contains ⁶⁸Ga free of ⁶⁸Ge, which can be determined immediately, i.e. prior to the application of the ⁶⁸Ga-radiopharmaceutical.

Keywords: Breakthrough; Ga-68; Ge-68; Generator; Separation.