The Current Development Status in Accelerator Preparation of Radionuclide ⁶⁸Ge

In recent years, the PET imaging with ⁶⁸Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals have grown significantly, which is driven by the popularity of ⁶⁸Ge-⁶⁸Ga generator, the development of targeted tracers, simple labeling procedures, and approval of ⁶⁸Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals. Currently, ⁶⁸Ga is mainly produced by ⁶⁸Ge-⁶⁸Ga generator. Therefore, the source and activity of parent nuclide ⁶⁸Ge become the key factor in the ⁶⁸Ge-⁶⁸Ga generator preparation. ⁶⁸Ge is an artificial radionuclide produced by accelerator, its accelerator preparation is of great significance for promoting the development and application of PET imaging drugs. ⁶⁸Ge can be often used for the homogenization correction and attenuation correction of the equipment to ensure the accuracy and reliability of PET images, and ⁶⁸Ge correction source is a key component in the quality control of PET and PET/CT. ⁶⁸Ge can be prepared by irradiating metal gallium target via proton cyclotron through ^natGa(p,xn)⁶⁸Ge or ⁶⁹Ga(p,2n)⁶⁸Ge nuclear reaction. This paper summarizes the properties and preparation of ⁶⁸Ge and introduces the key technologies and research progress of the accelerator production of ⁶⁸Ge in detail, hoping to provide reference and experience for the preparation of ⁶⁸Ge and help realize the independent.