Radiocopper in Radiopharmacy and Medical Use: Current Status and Perspective

Of the 32 known copper isotopes, some have interesting properties for nuclear medicine, for example the short-lived Cu, Cu, Cu, the moderate long-lived Cu and the long-lived Cu. Due to their emission properties, copper isotopes are suitable for both imaging diagnostics (Cu, Cu, Cu, Cu) and targeted radiotherapy (Cu and Cu). As their chemical properties are virtually identical, a single radiopharmaceutical structure can be labeled with different isotopes, depending on the clinical application. This, combined with the ability to combine radioisotopes with different nuclear properties with the same ligand, makes them extremely versatile. The purpose of this review is to introduce the world of copper radiopharmaceuticals and to summarize recent advances in methods for producing copper radioisotopes and the preclinical research of radiopharmaceuticals labeled with copper radioisotopes.