PET Radiochemistry Automation: State of the Art and Future Trends in 18F-nucleophilic Fluorination

This review article summarizes the recent information regarding general aspects in the automated synthesis of 18F-labelled PET radiotracers that are prepared via nucleophilic fluorination pathway. The previous and on-going researches in development of different automation solutions are discussed and the current trends in large scale production of radiotracers are considered. The advantages and limitations of the fully automated systems available from different manufacturers are exemplified by routine automated production of several clinically relevant 18F-radiotracers using traditional automated synthesizers, kit-based (cassette-type) radiochemistry modules and modular systems.