radiofarmaseutit

Radiofarmaseutit, known in English as radiopharmaceuticals, are a class of pharmaceutical compounds that contain radioactive isotopes and are used for diagnosis and therapy in nuclear medicine. They combine a radioactive component with a biologically active molecule to guide radiation to a target such as an organ, receptor, or tumor, enabling imaging or treatment while minimizing systemic exposure.

In diagnostics, radiopharmaceuticals are used in positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Common diagnostic agents include fluorine-18 labeled glucose (FDG) for metabolic imaging, technetium-99m based compounds for bone, cardiac, and marrow imaging, and Ga-68 labeled peptides for neuroendocrine tumors. For therapy, beta- or alpha-emitting isotopes such as lutetium-177, iodine-131, or actinium-225 are attached to targeting vectors like peptides or antibodies to deliver cytotoxic radiation to disease sites.

Production and quality control involve radiolabeling a cold precursor with a radioactive isotope in dedicated facilities, ensuring sterility, apyrogenicity, and radiochemical purity. Isotopes may be produced in cyclotrons or nuclear reactors and require strict regulatory oversight, licensing, and radiation safety practices.

Theranostics, the combined diagnostic-therapeutic approach, is a growing area in which the same targeting molecule is used for imaging and treatment with different isotopes. The field is characterized by interdisciplinary collaboration among chemists, physicists, radiologists, and clinicians and continues to evolve with new isotopes and automated synthesis techniques.