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A 2017 study showed that a fluorine-18 radiolabelling method could be automated on two synthesis platforms, an encouraging step toward clinical translatability—not evidence that the resulting tracers were already being used in patients. The method labelled one small molecule and two peptides, producing radioconjugates with greater than 98% radiochemical purity in 26–35 minutes, including a single rapid purification step.
What the researchers automated
L. Allott, C. Da Pieve, D. R. Turton and Graham Smith reported an automated aluminium fluoride-18, or [18F]AlF, radiolabelling procedure on a GE TRACERlab FX_FN and a Trasis AllInOne. Their 2017 paper describes a one-pot process that does not require the [18F]fluoride drying step used in some radiolabelling workflows. They applied the procedure to three precursors: one small molecule and two peptides. The Royal Society of Chemistry paper gives the method and experimental results.
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What the study reported
The authors reported that both platforms produced radioconjugates with greater than 98% radiochemical purity in 26–35 minutes, using one rapid purification step. These figures describe the products and workflow in this study; radiochemical purity is not a measure of diagnostic accuracy, patient benefit or clinical success.
In this comparison, the Trasis AllInOne showed improved [18F]fluoride incorporation and generally higher radiochemical yield and effective specific activity than the GE system. The result is specific to the precursors and procedures tested. It does not establish a universal ranking between the platforms or compare their current specifications.
#1 Best Overall
Why automation matters for PET radiopharmaceuticals
Automating a radiolabelling procedure may help make production more reproducible and standardized. The contemporaneous coverage also identified batch reporting and record keeping, and reduced contamination risk, as potential advantages. These are reasons to pursue automation, not patient outcomes demonstrated by this experiment.
Automation could also support production and distribution to satellite PET centres, as a future application described in coverage of the work. The study itself tested a method on two synthesis platforms; it did not establish a distribution network or routine production model. In a February 2017 account from the Reaction Chemistry & Engineering blog, corresponding author Graham Smith said the reported efficiency trends were intended to help radiochemists adapt and optimize the method for a peptide of interest.
What “closer to the clinic” means—and does not mean
The phrase describes a translational goal: demonstrating that the chemistry could be automated is a practical step toward clinical translatability. The cited study and contemporaneous coverage do not establish that these radiotracers were administered to patients, proved effective, received regulatory approval or entered routine clinical practice. An automated synthesis result is a method-development milestone, not clinical validation.
Laura Fisher’s Chemistry World report, published 7 February 2017, quoted imaging expert Ralf Schirrmacher describing the work as an example of radiochemistry’s potential for innovation, automation and application. That commentary reflects the promise of the approach, rather than evidence of patient use.
Rank #3
The study at a glance
| Measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Radiolabelling approach | One-pot [18F]AlF procedure; no [18F]fluoride drying step |
| Automated platforms | GE TRACERlab FX_FN and Trasis AllInOne |
| Precursors tested | One small molecule and two peptides |
| Radiochemical purity | Greater than 98% on both platforms |
| Production time | 26–35 minutes |
| Purification | One rapid purification step |
| Platform comparison | Trasis showed improved fluoride incorporation and generally higher yield and effective specific activity in this experiment |
All figures and the platform comparison are from Allott and colleagues’ 2017 paper in Reaction Chemistry & Engineering.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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