Rhenium-188 Radiochemistry: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

After a lull in development of new chemistry for rhenium-188 and technetium-99m since 2000, there has been new investment in production facilities for Mo-99/Tc-99m coupled with increasing interest in rhenium-188 radionuclide therapy, particularly in developing countries. Much of the chemistry developed in the 1990s is not readily amenable to supporting modern radiopharmaceutical development, which places increased emphasis on molecular targeted radiopharmaceuticals. Consequently there is a need for new radiolabelling chemistry to incorporate these radionuclides into biomolecules using simple, kit-based methodology. This review provides an update on progress towards simple rhenium-188 labelling methods since 2000.