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Applications of Radiochemistry in Healthcare

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 355

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. AIMS, QUANTIF, University of Rouen Normandy, 76000 Rouen, France
2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Henri Becquerel Centre, Rouen, France
Interests: radiochemistry; radiopharmacy; nuclear medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Radiochemistry is a rapidly expanding discipline within the field of healthcare. Radioligand therapies have become standard treatments for metastatic prostate cancer. Radiolabeled antibodies have also been demonstrated to possess numerous benefits for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

The advent of antibody fragments, such as nanobodies, which hold promise for applications in diagnostics, underscores the dynamism of this research domain.

The radionuclides utilized in these processes are diverse. Metal radiochemistry involves technetium, gallium, lutetium, terbium, actinium, radium, and other radionuclides, while organic radiochemistry involves carbon, fluorine, and oxygen, among other elements. Radiochemists’ broad skills offer a wide range of possibilities for improving patient care.

The objective of this Special Issue is to disseminate knowledge and advances in this field.

Dr. Pierre Bohn
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • radiochemistry
  • radioligand therapy
  • radiolabeled antibodies
  • nanobodies
  • radionuclides

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 968 KB  
Article
Preclinical Theranostic Profiling of [64Cu]Cu-Acetate in Prostate Cancer
by Sadaf Ghanaatgar Kasbi, Martin Savard, Céléna Dubuc, Yves Dory, Brigitte Guérin and Fernand Gobeil
Molecules 2025, 30(19), 3957; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30193957 - 2 Oct 2025
Abstract
Copper plays a critical role in cancer biology, with tumor cells exhibiting abnormal copper metabolism that drives proliferation and tumor growth. A limited number of preclinical and clinical studies have reported promising theranostic potential of copper-based radionuclides, such as 64Cu, for both [...] Read more.
Copper plays a critical role in cancer biology, with tumor cells exhibiting abnormal copper metabolism that drives proliferation and tumor growth. A limited number of preclinical and clinical studies have reported promising theranostic potential of copper-based radionuclides, such as 64Cu, for both diagnostic imaging and targeted radiotherapy in diverse cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). In this work, we evaluated the cellular uptake and antitumor efficacy of [64Cu]Cu-acetate using both cellular and animal models of PCa. Uptake assays revealed that ~70% of the administered dose (10 kBq) was internalized by PC-3 cells within 24 h, predominantly localizing to the cytoplasm, with around 9% detected in the nucleus. These results were corroborated by comparable natural Cu-acetate uptake levels (at equimolar dose) in PC-3 cells, as quantified by ICP-MS. Clonogenic assays revealed a dose-dependent reduction in survival following treatment with [64Cu]Cu-acetate (3 and 6 MBq), whereas its non-radioactive counterpart [NatCu]Cu-acetate, even at excess concentrations (10 µM), had no significant effect. Ex vivo biodistribution studies showed selective tumor accumulation/retention alongside expected hepatic uptake. Clear tumor visualization was achieved using μPET imaging with [64Cu]Cu-acetate (10 MBq iv). A single higher dose (65 MBq iv) effectively reduced tumor growth in a subcutaneous PC-3 xenograft mouse model, without systemic toxicity, as evidenced by stable body weight. Together, these results further support the theranostic potential of [64Cu]Cu in PCa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Radiochemistry in Healthcare)
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