Ga68s

Ga68s refers to gallium-68 labeled radiopharmaceuticals used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Gallium-68 is a positron-emitting radioisotope that is commonly produced from a germanium-68/gallium-68 generator, which provides on-site availability without a cyclotron. The isotope has a relatively short half-life of about 68 minutes, allowing rapid imaging and reducing long-term radiation exposure.

In clinical practice, Ga-68 is eluted from the generator as gallium-68 in a solution and then chelated with suitable ligands to form Ga-68 labeled compounds. The most widely used chelators are DOTA, HBED-CC, and NOTA, which enable the Ga-68 to be bound to biomolecules that target specific receptors or biological pathways. These Ga-68 labeled radiopharmaceuticals are designed for receptor- or antigen-directed PET imaging.

The best-known Ga-68 radiopharmaceuticals include [68Ga]Ga-DOTATATE, [68Ga]Ga-DOTATOC, and [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC, which target somatostatin receptors and are employed in imaging neuroendocrine tumors. Another major application is [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11, used for prostate cancer imaging by targeting the PSMA protein. Ga-68 radiopharmaceuticals illustrate the versatility of Ga-68 in labeling diverse biomolecules for oncology, neurology, and cardiology research and clinical practice.

Advantages of Ga-68 radiopharmaceuticals include the convenience of generator production, suitable half-life for synthesis and imaging on the same day, and high-resolution PET imaging. Limitations involve reliance on generator supply, the need for specialized radiochemistry facilities, and the relatively short half-life that constrains centralized distribution and long-distance transport.