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Contract Opportunity

Opportunity:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration to further develop and commercialize its technology for rapid isolation of radiopharmaceuticals 197g-Hg and 197m,g-Hg with novel thiacrown ethers.

Background:

Radioisotopes of mercury- 197g-Hg (half-life of 64.1 hr) and 197m,g-Hg (half-life of 23.8 hr)- emit gamma-rays and are suitable for imaging by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission spectroscopy (PET) as well as for therapeutic applications. These radioisotopes with low specific activities (produced from neutron reactions on natural stable isotopes of Hg in nuclear reactors) were used for imaging in the 1950s and 1960s. However, they fell out of favor because of their high toxicity associated with stable isoform of Hg present in the preparation.

The production of radiopharmaceuticals in cyclotrons by charged particle reactions of 197Au, 194Pt or 195Pt allows for no-carrier-added (NCA) radionuclides to be produced. This has led to a renewed interest in 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg for imaging and therapy since they can be produced in large quantities without the toxic stable isotope of Hg present. Previous work on separations of NCA 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg from Au foils has mostly been focused on distillation of the metal, sublimation of HgCl2, or liquid-liquid extractions. However, these methods suffer from several drawbacks such as product losses, low efficiency, and difficult post processing of purified material.

Description:

The method described in a pending patent application uses a novel thiacrown (dibenzohexathia-18-crown-6) for efficient extraction of 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg from irradiated Pt target foils. The separation of 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg from Pt foils using this novel thiacrown was found to be highly specific. No detectable amount of the Pt foil was seen in the organic phase of the initial Hg extraction. The final recovery of 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg was 99.8%. The extraction process is not only efficient but also simple and extremely fast. It is possible to perform the entire extraction within one hour. Moreover, this method can be performed similarly on 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg produced from proton irradiations of Au with the same experimental procedure. Furthermore, there is no presence of stable isotope of Hg since the reaction did not involve stable Hg as a starting material. The toxicity of Hg radioisotopes is very low because they are used at very low concentration for imaging and therapeutics.

Advantages/Benefits:

LLNL’s novel method allows for rapid separation of 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg from either a Pt or Au foil which has been irradiated using an accelerator. The method uses a novel thiacrown ether for the extraction, and is simple, fast and highly efficient. Existing methods suffer from several drawbacks such as product losses, low efficiency, and difficult post-processing of purified material. The novel thiacrown can be prepared inexpensively; the radiopharmaceuticals 197m,g-Hg and 197g-Hg can be made locally at a hospital using a medical cyclotron. Mercury radioisotopes have applications in imaging (particularly brain) as well as cancer therapeutics. Additionally, the method is amenable to scale-up and has environmental application in the recovery of mercury from liquid stream.

Potential Applications:

Medical isotopes for imaging (e.g. brain) and therapeutics (e.g. for cancer), mercury recovery from liquid stream (environmental applications).

Development Status:

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0287822 Methods of isolating radioactive mercury and uses thereof published 9/16/2021.

Current stage of technology development: TRL-2

LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information.

Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's technology for rapid isolation of radiopharmaceuticals 197g-Hg and 197m,g-Hg with novel thiacrown ethers should provide a written statement of interest, which includes the following:

1. Company Name and address.

2. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact.

3. A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology.

Written responses should be directed to:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Innovation and Partnerships Office

P.O. Box 808, L-779

Livermore, CA 94551-0808

Attention: IL-13347

Please provide your written statement within thirty (30) days from the date this announcement is published to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's technology for rapid isolation of radiopharmaceuticals 197g-Hg and 197m,g-Hg with novel thiacrown ethers

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