Efficiency of 124 I radioisotope production from natural and enriched tellurium dioxide using 124 Te(p,xn) 124 I reaction

Background 124 I Iodine (T _1/2 = 4.18 d) is the only long-life positron emitter radioisotope of iodine that may be used for both imaging and therapy as well as for 131 I dosimetry. Its physical characteristics permits taking advantages of the higher Positron Emission Tomography (PET) image quality, whereas the availability of new molecules to be targeted with 124 I makes it a novel innovative radiotracer probe for a specific molecular targeting. Results In this study Monte Carlo and SRIM/TRIM modelling was applied to predict the nuclear parameters of the 124 I production process in a small medical cyclotron IBA 18/9 Cyclone. The simulation production yields for 124 I and the polluting radioisotopes were calculated for the natural and enriched 124 TeO 2 + Al 2 O 3 solid targets irradiated with 14.8 MeV protons. The proton beam was degraded energetically from 18 MeV with 0.2 mm Havar foil. The 124 Te(p,xn) 124 I reactions were taken into account in the simulations. The optimal thickness of the target material was calculated using the SRIM/TRIM and Geant4 codes. The results of the simulations were compared with the experimental data obtained for the natural TeO 2 +Al 2 O 3 target. The dry distillation technique of the 124-iodine was applied. Conclusions The experimental efficiency for the natural Te target was better than 41