@article{cieszykowskaScandium47RadionuclidePrecursor2026,
	title = {Scandium-47 as a radionuclide precursor: Feasibility of production in a 47Ca/47Sc generator-like system},
	volume = {152-153},
	issn = {0969-8051},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969805125006043},
	doi = {10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2025.109595},
	shorttitle = {Scandium-47 as a radionuclide precursor},
	abstract = {Background
Scandium-47 (47Sc), a medium-energy β− emitter with a half-life of 3.35 days and associated γ emission (159 {keV}, 68.1 \%), is an attractive radionuclide for targeted radionuclide therapy and theranostics. Production of 47Sc via neutron irradiation of enriched 46Ca targets through the 46Ca(n,γ)47Ca → 47Sc decay pathway offers advantages such as thermal neutron utilisation and minimised contaminant co-production. Efficient separation and repeated recovery of 47Sc in a quasi-generator system are crucial for enabling its medical application.
Results
Neutron irradiations of calcium carbonate targets 46Ca-enriched (5.2 \% and 10.5 \%) at the Maria research reactor yielded up to 5.18 {GBq} 47Sc and 5.60 {GBq} 47Ca at the end of bombardment. Separation of 47Sc from 47Ca was performed using {DGA} resin with recovery efficiencies of 81–97 \% for 47Sc and 98–99 \% for 47Ca in up to five consecutive elutions within 18 days. Radiochemical purity of eluted [47Sc]{ScCl}3 exceeded 95 \% in initial separations. Radiolabelling studies with {DOTA}-{TATE} demonstrated effective molar activities up to 20 {MBq}/nmol and radiochemical purities {\textgreater}98 \%. Stability tests confirmed that the [47Sc]{ScCl}3 eluate remained suitable for radiolabelling for the entire testing period of up to 4 days post-elution. Trace metal analysis showed predominantly low contamination levels, with sporadic impurities attributed to handling conditions.
Conclusions
The 47Ca/47Sc quasi-generator system based on neutron irradiation of enriched 46Ca targets offers a reliable source of high-quality 47Sc for radiopharmaceutical applications. Multiple elutions from a single target enable sustained production of 47Sc with excellent radionuclidic and radiochemical purity. These results support further development of 47Sc as a theranostic radionuclide for larger-scale production. A preliminary specification for 47Sc as a radionuclide precursor was proposed following the European Pharmacopoeia guidelines, providing a groundwork for future standardisation.},
	pages = {109595},
	journaltitle = {Nuclear Medicine and Biology},
	shortjournal = {Nuclear Medicine and Biology},
	eprinttype = {pubmed},
	eprint = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41391246/},
	author = {Cieszykowska, Izabela and Żółtowska, Małgorzata and Pawlak, Dariusz and Sochaczewski, Łukasz and Tymiński, Zbigniew and Marganiec-Gałązka, Justyna and Mikołajczak, Renata},
	urldate = {2026-01-30},
	date = {2026-01-01},
	keywords = {Calcium-46, {DGA} resin, Quality assessment, Radionuclide generator, Radionuclide precursor, Scandium-47, scientific-publication},
}