Speaker
Description
The radionuclide ⁶⁷Cu is a highly attractive theranostic agent, combining β⁻ emission for radiotherapy with γ-rays suitable for SPECT imaging. However, achieving efficient and clean cyclotron-based production remains a major obstacle. In this study, we explore an alternative nuclear reaction route using triton beams on zinc targets—specifically ⁶⁸Zn(t,x)⁶⁷Cu—as part of the NUCSYS CSN4, CUPRUM-TTD CSN5, and SPESMED CSN3 initiatives. Given the absence of experimental cross-section data for these triton-induced reactions, we employed comprehensive TALYS simulations across 24 model combinations, generating uncertainty bands and benchmarking against the well-documented ⁶⁸,⁷⁰Zn(p,x)⁶⁷Cu proton-induced reactions.
Our simulations predict that triton-based reactions can outperform proton routes by more than an order of magnitude in yield for E > 30 MeV, while also significantly reducing stable copper contamination and cooling times. Notably, triton irradiation requires substantially thinner targets, translating into lower consumption of costly enriched material. These findings position triton-induced production as a superior and scalable route to ⁶⁷Cu, pending experimental validation. This work paves the way for novel strategies in the production of key theranostic radionuclides, potentially transforming their accessibility for nuclear medicine.
