|
The Hevesy Laboratory is a radiochemical and radiopharmaceutical facility situated at Risø National Laboratory for Sutainable Energy. The laboratory has a 16.5 MeV proton biomedical cyclotron equipped with a beam-line for in house production of many radioisotopes, most important presently F-18 for PET scanning.
The Laboratory has two clean rooms complete with hot-cells for production of radiopharmaceuticals at high activity levels. Other parts of the laboratory are designated for Quality Control, radiochemical and radiopharmaceutical development and for production of radioisotopes and radiotracers for non-medical purposes.
The Hevesy Laboratory participates at many levels in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. The present large scale growth of PET and PET/CT imaging capability throughout the world opens important opportunities for development and clinical dissemination of new diagnostic PET tracers, supplementing the already very successful cancer tracer FDG.
The laboratory has the infrastructure, organization and all necessary permissions for radiopharmaceutical manufacture. FDG is produced large scale on a routine basis and is distributed under the laboratory’s marketing authorization to hospitals in the region and throughout Denmark.
As back-up facility, the Laboratory has been able to deliver large batches of FDG allowing full use of two whole body scanners even as far away as Norway.
The development work is at present concentrated along four major lines of approach:
- Development of new diagnostic PET tracers based on F-18
- Development of new diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals based on short-lived radioactive metals ions conjugated to biomolecules.
- Development and production of new radionuclide therapy agents.
- Research in labelling chemistry to expand the radiochemist’s toolbox.
The laboratory is built on a 50 year long tradition of radioisotope work at Risø, but with strong links and many years of practical experience from National and international PET facilities. The laboratory combines competence in cyclotron and reactor isotope manufacture with radiochemistry.
The Hevesy Laboratory will be happy to respond to inquiries for new tracers and radiopharmaceuticals, new or hard-to-get isotopes and radiochemicals or collaborations using our facility and expertise in radioisotope work and labeling.
Selection of projects from the programme
Programme staff
Head of programme:Palle Rasmussen
The Hevesy Laboratory was inaugurated in May 2005 and is named in honour of the Nobel Laureate George de Hevesy, father of the isotope tracer principle. The John and Birthe Meyer Foundation has donated the cyclotron that has made the project possible. |