68Ga-labeled DOTA-peptides and 68Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography: Current status of research, clinical applications, and future Perspectives

In this review we give an overview of current knowledge of68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals, with focus on imaging receptor-mediated processes. A major advantage of a68Ge/68Ga generator is its continuous source of68Ga, independently from an on-site cyclotron. The increase in knowledge of purification and concentration of the eluate and the complex ligand chemistry has led to68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals with major clinical impact.68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals have the potential to cover all today's clinical options with99mTc, with the concordant higher resolution of positron emission tomography (PET) in comparison with single photon emission computed tomography.68Ga-labeled analogs of octreotide, such as DOTATOC, DOTANOC, and DOTA-TATE, are in clinical application in nuclear medicine, and these analogs are now the most frequently applied of all68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals. All the above-mentioned items in favor of successful application of68Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals for imaging in patients are strong arguments for the development of a68Ge/68Ga generator with Marketing Authorization and thus to provide pharmaceutical grade eluate. Moreover, now not one United States Food and Drug Administration-approved or European Medicines Agency-approved68Ga-radiopharmaceutical is available. As soon as these are achieved, a whole new radiopharmacy providing PET radiopharmaceuticals might develop.

• View at Publisher
• View at Pubmed
• View at Scopus
• View at Web of Science