Promising Scandium Radionuclides for Nuclear Medicine: A Review on the Production and Chemistry up to In Vivo Proofs of Concept

Abstract : Scandium radionuclides have been identified in the late 1990s as promising for nuclear medicine applications, but have been set aside for about 20 years. Among the different isotopes of scandium, 43Sc and 44Sc are interesting for positron emission tomography imaging, whereas 47Sc is interesting for therapy. The 44Sc/47Sc or 43Sc/47Sc pairs could be thus envisaged as true theranostic pairs. Another interesting aspect of scandium is that its chemistry is governed by the trivalent ion, Sc3+. When combined with its hardness and its size, it gives this element a lanthanide-like behavior. It is then also possible to use it in a theranostic approach in combination with 177Lu or other lanthanides. This article aims to review the progresses that have been made over the last decade on scandium isotope production and coordination chemistry. It also reviews the radiolabeling aspects and the first (pre) clinical studies performed.