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Nitrogen‐13: historical review and future perspectives
Author(s) -
GómezVallejo Vanessa,
Gaja Vijay,
Gona Kiran B.,
Llop Jordi
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of labelled compounds and radiopharmaceuticals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1099-1344
pISSN - 0362-4803
DOI - 10.1002/jlcr.3163
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , chemistry , positron , pet imaging , brain positron emission tomography , radiochemistry , in vivo , nanotechnology , medical physics , nuclear medicine , preclinical imaging , nuclear physics , physics , medicine , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , electron
Positron emission tomography is an ultra‐sensitive, in vivo molecular imaging technique that allows the determination of the spatiotemporal distribution of a positron emitter labeled radiotracer after administration into living organisms. Among all existing positron emitters, 18 F has been by far the most widely used both in clinical diagnosis and in preclinical investigation, while the use of 11 C significantly increased after the 1980s because of the widespread installation of biomedical cyclotrons. The use of other shorter‐lived positron emitters such as 13 N ( T 1/2 = 9.97 min) has been historically more restricted. Paradoxically, its stable isotope ( 14 N) is present in many biological active molecules; consequently, the development of strategies for the efficient incorporation of 13 N into radiotracers would represent an interesting alternative to 11 C‐ and 18 F‐labeling. In the current paper, the developments related to 13 N chemistry are reviewed, including different production routes of primary precursors and their applications to the preparation of more complex 13 N‐labeled molecules. The current situation and future perspectives are also briefly discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.