Development of Efficient Separation Procedures of Cyclotron Produced Manganese-52 for the METRICS Project

The aim of the METRICS project (acronym for Multimodal pET/mRI imaging with Cyclotron-produced 51/52Mn iSotopes) is to develop all the technology needed to get a cyclotron-driven 52/51Mn radionuclide production aimed at the so-called Multi-Modal Imaging (MMI). A perfect MMI can be achieved by using both paramagnetic as well as radioactive properties shown by manganese isotopes, which might allow for an unprecedented PET/MRI hybrid imaging modality. Such activities are funded by INFN CSN5, in the framework of LARAMED (LAboratory of RAdioisotopes for MEDicine) research program, running at Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL) on the development of cyclotron-based production strategies, either of emerging or conventional radionuclides for nuclear medicine applications [1]. Manganese-52/51 may be produced starting from natural chromium target, with medium-low energy protons (10-20 MeV) mainly by the 52Cr(p,n)52m/gMn and 53Cr(p,2n)52m/gMn nuclear reaction routes. The radiochemical separation of manganese from the chromium target is a key step to isolate the desired product in a form suitable for its intended application. We reported efficient Cr/Mn separation procedures based on column chromatography