Russian Almazov Center develops new radiopharmaceuticals to fight ischemic heart disease

Researchers at the V. A. Almazov National Medical Research Centre have begun developing radiopharmaceuticals based on copper isotopes to diagnose ischemic heart disease. The project aims to overcome a primary logistical hurdle in nuclear medicine: the rapid decay of diagnostic agents, which currently prevents their delivery to remote clinics. Currently, myocardial positron emission tomography (PET) in Russia relies primarily on [13N]-ammonium. This compound has a half-life of only 9.9 minutes, requiring immediate use after production. Consequently, this diagnostic tool is available only at three medical centers nationwide that possess on-site cyclotrons and laboratories located adjacent to the PET scanners. Overcoming Decay Logistics The study focuses on creating transportable pharmaceuticals for cardiology departments in regional areas that lack expensive isotope synthesis equipment. The use of copper-64 and copper-61 alters this dynamic: the former has a half-life of 12.7 hours, while the latter exceeds 3 hours.