You can find all our scientific outcomes on the PRISMAP website and on Zenodo. Here are some highlights from our recent publications:
1.Ursula Søndergaard et al. Production of 67Cu at a biomedical cyclotron via 70Zn(p,alpha)67Cu reaction and its evaluation in a preclinical study using small animal SPECT/CT (2025), 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111551
Clinical advancements in nuclear medicine theranostics have excited a research interest in exploring novel radionuclides for medical use. The duo of the β−emitter 67Cu and the positron emitter 64Cu, has advantages over the well-established clinical pair 68Ga and 177Lu in terms of capability for high-precision therapy. Low availability has hindered the use of 67Cu, whereas 64Cu has become established at a limited number of sites through production in low-to-medium energy biomedical cyclotrons. Via the reaction 70Zn(p,α)67Cu, 67Cu can also be cyclotron-produced, although data on the cross sections of this reaction are sparse. Our aim in this study was three-fold: 1) to establish cross sections for relevant beam energies (14–16 MeV) of the 70Zn(p,α)67Cu reaction; 2) determine experimentally the thick target yield for 16.5 MeV proton beam; 3) establish a routine production of 67Cu for radiochemical and preclinical research. Additionally, our work aims to explore the feasibility of using biomedical cyclotrons for development of novel therapeutic radionuclides.
Thin layers of enriched 70Zn were electrodeposited onto silver foils to employ the stacked foils technique for assessing the cross-section at six energies. The thick target yield was measured experimentally using a pressed [70Zn]ZnO target. Methods were developed for solid phase extraction separation of 67Cu from the target material, as well as quality control of the product with regard to radionuclidic and radiochemical purity. Radiolabelling of PSMA-617 precursor was performed, and the end product was injected into a healthy mouse for a kinetic study. As a proof of concept for preclinical applications, the animal was then SPECT imaged using the 185 keV gamma emission line.
Summarizing, our data confirm that biomedical cyclotrons can contribute in developing novel radionuclides, even of low cross section, for preclinical research.
2. E B O'Sullivan et al, Electron-gamma decay spectroscopy of 152Tb (2025), 10.1088/1402-4896/add812
Electron-gamma spectroscopy of the decay of 152Tb supports the gamma-gamma spectroscopy of the same decay. Preliminary measurements of conversion electrons and E0 transitions have been used to validate the transition intensities recommended in the evaluated nuclear data for the 433 keV and 615 keV transitions. Further measurements of the K/(L+M) ratio of the 271 keV and 344 keV transitions have been compared to theoretical predictions based on BrIcc calculations, confirming the pure E2 multipole character of these transitions. Discrepancies between the measured and predicted K/(L+M) ratios for the 586 keV transition indicate the need for further analysis of these data.
These electrons are not measurable with the HPGe array used in the gamma-gamma spectroscopy experiment, and have an important role in mapping the level scheme of the decay. Accurate internal conversion coefficients are vital in balancing the feeding in and out of excited states in 152Gd, in turn allowing the feeding of these states in the beta decay to be calculated. The determination of the beta strength function, and therefore the beta dose to patients, is a key aim of the gamma-gamma spectroscopy which this parallel experiment supports.
Internal conversion electrons are also an important contribution to the patient dose in their own right, depositing a higher proportion of the transition energy into the patient's body than gamma rays due to the short range of electrons. Auger electrons emitted following internal conversion may have ranges less than the size of an individual cell, with a strongly localised biological effect.
While this experiment is limited in its ability to detect low intensity transitions, the completed analysis will provide confirmation of predicted internal conversion coefficients and E0 transition strengths, supporting the decay spectroscopy of 152Tb and the goal of providing accurate nuclear data for its clinical use.
3. Joana F. Santos, Mitochondria-tropic radioconjugates to enhance the therapeutic potential of terbium-161 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1186/s41181-025-00339-6
Strategies that focus on delivering Auger electron emitters to highly radiosensitive intracellular targets—such as the nucleus, cell membrane, or mitochondria—are gaining attention. Targeting these organelles could enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing off-target toxicity by allowing lower administered doses. In this context, this study explores the therapeutic potential of 161Tb-labeled radiocomplexes that integrate the mitochondria-targeting triphenylphosphonium (TPP) moiety with a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeting vector. The goal is to assess these dual-targeted radiocomplexes for their ability to deliver conversion electrons (CE) and Auger electrons (AEs) to prostate cancer (PCa) cells, specifically targeting the mitochondria to enhance therapeutic efficacy.
The TPP-modified 161Tb-radiocomplexes effectively targeted the mitochondria of PSMA-positive PCa cells, leading to increased DNA damage and reduced cell viability compared to single-targeted radiocomplexes. These findings suggest that dual-targeting strategies, which combine PSMA and mitochondrial targeting, can enhance the therapeutic potential of radiopharmaceuticals for prostate cancer treatment.
4. Collins, S. et al. Deliverable D11.3 - Precision nuclear data for extended radionuclide offer. (2025). https://zenodo.org/records/15348568.
Nuclear decay data are of importance to a wide range of activities in nuclear medicine, from the production of radionuclides to their use in nuclear medicine clinics. During the progress of PRISMAP the number of radionuclides has increased from an original offering of 18 radionuclides to an extensive portfolio of 28 radionuclides. In a previous report the status of the nuclear decay data of these original 18 radionuclides was reviewed and recommendations given where future measurement campaigns were needed to improve this data. This same undertaking has been performed for the extended offering of radionuclides, adding reviews of the radionuclides of Sc-43, Mn-52, Pd-103, Rh-103m, Ba-138, Cs-128, Sm-153, Au-199, Pb-203, Ra-223 (and its six-decay progeny), Ra-224 (and its six-decay progeny) and Th-227.
A summary of the current state of nuclear decay data of these radionuclides have been covered in this report using the latest evaluations published by the Nuclear Data Sheets or the Decay Data Evaluation Project. Where recent studies have been published since the last evaluation a comparison to these new values have been included. Based on these reviews, recommendations have been proposed throughout the report for new nuclear decay data studies, where the current literature is lacking or there is room for improvement.
5.Cocolios, T. E. et al. Deliverable D6.3 - Training events for young researchers. (2025). https://zenodo.org/records/15410805.
The PRISMAP Training Office has been responsible for the organisation of 5 schools across different topics of relevance to the PRISMAP Community. Those events have been organised by SCK CEN, DTU, IST-ID, KULeuven, and LU, with strong input from other members from the consortium, such as ARRONAX and PSI. Furthermore, PRISMAP has supported the ISINucMed school organised by ARRONAX, which topic very strongly aligns with the aims of the PRISMAP Training Office. All these events were organised free of charge for the participants. They featured lectures by renowned speakers in the field, laboratory activities, and site visits.
In this deliverable, the different events are reviewed systematically, demonstrating their success and impact. Based on the feedback received, conclusions are drawn. In particular, the oversubscription of the events indicates the need for these events and suggests that such activities need to be continued in the future. Some of those events have already been repeated in the context of other networks or projects. Each organising committee stands ready to reproduce that event, should the opportunity arise.