Radiopharmaceuticals

Tracera capitalizes on the unique properties of organic molecules incorporating the radioisotope, Fluorine-18 (¹⁸F). ¹⁸F is the only nonmetal radioisotope with a half-life compatible with commercially available PET radiopharmaceuticals and scanners. Further, the ¹⁸F atom can be incorporated into biologically important molecules without detrimental effects on their utilization by human tissues. Specifically, radiochemistry techniques are used to substitute the ¹⁸18F atom for hydrogen or hydroxyl groups on organic molecules. These techniques, yielding ¹⁸F-containing molecules, are common in the field of PET diagnostic imaging.