Radiotracer development

A prerequisite for the syntheses of radiotracers for the positron emission tomography is the development of new methods for the introduction of the very low amounts (<10^-9 g) of a positron emitter (e.g. fluorine-18, carbon-11) into organic molecules in a short time scale.

The main focus is on the development of syntheses of new ¹⁸F-fluorinated amino acids, which will be used for the diagnosis of brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases. A further focus is on the development of new ¹¹C- and ¹⁸F-labelled ligands of the dopaminergic and serotonergic receptor system. For these entire fields novel labeling strategies will be developed which even enables the synthesis of the corresponding compounds.

A further area of activity is the improvement of technologies for the syntheses of radiopharmaceuticals with regard to a better automation and product quality.