High purity Sc-47 production using high-energy photons and natural vanadium targets

Scandium-47 (Sc-47) is of high value for targeted radiotherapy and theranostics; we report a novel, cost-effective approach to produce high-purity Sc-47 via photonuclear reactions with natural vanadium. Irradiation at 20 MeV photon end-point energy produces >99.998% pure Sc-47, while irradiation at 38 MeV produces 98.8 +/- 1.6% pure Sc-47. Experimental data suggest producing greater than 100 mCi (3700 MBq) of Sc-47 using this approach may be feasible. Future research into refinement and scale-up to support pre-clinical research is recommended.