Review of Cyclotrons Used in the Production of Radio- Isotopes for Biomedical Applications

Cyclotrons are the primary tool for producing the shorter-lived proton-rich radio-isotopes currently used in the biosciences. Although the primary use of the cyclotron produced short-lived radio-isotopes is in PET/CT and SPECT diagnostic medical procedures, cyclotrons are also producing longer-lived isotopes for therapeutic procedures. Commercial suppliers are responding by providing a range of cyclotrons in the energy range of 3 to 70 MeV. The cyclotrons generally have multiple beams servicing multiple targets. This paper provides a comparison of some of the capabilities of the various current cyclotrons. The use of nuclear medicine and the number of cyclotrons providing the needed isotopes is increasing. In the future it is expected that there will be a new generation of small 'table top' cyclotrons providing patient doses on demand.