@article{cieszykowska_scandium-47_2026,
	title = {Scandium-47 as a radionuclide precursor: {Feasibility} of production in a {47Ca}/{47Sc} generator-like system},
	volume = {152-153},
	issn = {0969-8051},
	shorttitle = {Scandium-47 as a radionuclide precursor},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969805125006043},
	doi = {10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2025.109595},
	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]ScCl3 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]ScCl3 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.},
	urldate = {2026-01-30},
	journal = {Nuclear Medicine and Biology},
	author = {Cieszykowska, Izabela and Żółtowska, Małgorzata and Pawlak, Dariusz and Sochaczewski, Łukasz and Tymiński, Zbigniew and Marganiec-Gałązka, Justyna and Mikołajczak, Renata},
	month = jan,
	year = {2026},
	keywords = {Calcium-46, DGA resin, Quality assessment, Radionuclide generator, Radionuclide precursor, Scandium-47, scientific-publication},
	pages = {109595},
}