Cation Exchange Separation of 61Cu2+ from NatCo Targets and Preparation of 61Cu-DOTA-HSA As a Blood Pool Agent

An improved method for isolation of (61)Cu(2+) from a (nat)Co target using cation exchange was developed. (61)Cu(2+) was eluted from a cation exchange resin column by 0.2 M HCl with 90% acetone, while Co(2+) remained on the column. The whole separation process was completed within 50 min at more than 72% yield. The Co(2+) impurity level in (61)Cu(2+) solution was reduced to less than 0.1 ppm. Highly pure (61)Cu(2+) solution was then applied to prepare (61)Cu-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-human serum albumin (HSA) which showed good blood pool imaging properties.