Radiochemical Methodology
New methods for radiosynthesis of known PET radiotracers
In our lab we are also interested in applying new methodologies to synthesis of radiotracers.
Serotonin transporter (SERT) regulates concentration of synaptic serotonin and for this reason is involved with various neurological disorders. To date, the only successful fluorine-18 PET radiotracer for imaging SERT is [18F]ADAM which application is being limited due to challenging radiosynthesis. In order to improve the radiosynthesis of [18F]ADAM, we applied a recently developed copper mediated fluorination (the Gouverneur method) to access [18F]ADAM in significantly improved radiochemical yield using the boron pinacolate as a radiolabelling precursor.