Apparatus for the manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals

• US 5,415,843 A
• Filed: 01/13/1994
• Issued: 05/16/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gems Pet Systems AB (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Scanditronix AB
• Inventors: Andersson, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, HIEN THI
• Application Number:
  US08/182,700
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 422/61, 422/63, 422/100, 422/102, 422/103, 422/104, 422/68.1, 422/116, 422/159, 422/903, 424/1.1, 424/9, 206/569, 206/570
• US Class Current: 422/159
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/00 Devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2121/00 Preparations for use in therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2123/00 Preparations for testing in vivo
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 51/1282 Devices used in vivo and carrying the radioactive therapeutic or diagnostic agent, therapeutic or in vivo diagnostic kits, stents
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0227 Details of motor drive means B01L3/0231, B01L3/0234 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0275 Interchangeable or disposable dispensing tips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 422/903 Radioactive material apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for the manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals includes a lead chamber (6) and a loading device (5) on which a chemical system is mounted in the form of a disposable kit (5). The apparatus includes a first suspension device (9) which functions to move the loading device in a radiation-safe manner between a loading position externally of the lead chamber and a working position within the lead chamber. A second suspension device is provided for releasing a consumed disposable kit from the loading device, such as to enable the consumed kit to fall down into a bottom section (8) of the lead chamber, this bottom section serving as a waste chamber.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing radiopharmaceuticals by chemical reactions effected on the basis of at least one radiotracer, comprising

a lead chamber which functions as a reaction chamber and as a radiation shield, said lead chamber having at least one side wall;

a number of containers for accommodating a radiotracer and for accommodating other process liquids and process gases, said containers being carried by at least one card, said at least one card and said containers being disposable after a single use, said containers being mutually connected by means of a system of hoses and valves, wherein;

the lead chamber includes an upper section and a lower section, one side wall of said at least one side wall of the lead chamber having an opening at said upper section;

the upper section comprises a loading device which is supportive of and loads said at least one card and said containers into said upper section through said opening;

the loading device includes a suspension device which is mounted within the upper section and functions partly to support the loading device and partly to enable the loading device to be moved between an inserted position in which said loading device, carrying said at least one card, supports the at least one card and said containers within the lead chamber which serves as a radiation shield against radiation emission to the ambient surroundings of the lead chamber, and an extended position in which the loading device, in a position externally of the lead chamber, is positioned to be loaded with said at least one card with an interior of the lead chamber shielded against the emission of radiation to the ambient surroundings of said chamber; and

wherein

means is provided for activating the loading device when in the inserted position to release the at least one card carried by the loading device and thereby enable the at least one card to fall down into the lower section of said lead chamber, the lower section functioning as a waste container for consumed cards, said activating means being attached to the loading device.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the loading device includes

a first moveable, vertically arranged wall-section having a first card holder;

a second moveable, vertically arranged wall-section which is mounted to and opposite of the first wall-section and is provided with a second card holder which coacts with the first card holder to support said at least one card therebetween; and

a first and a second lead plate, both of which plates are vertically arranged and both have a shape which is complementary to the shape of the opening of said one side wall of the lead chamber, and both of said plates being mounted transversely to the first and second wall-sections, wherein the first lead plate covers the opening in said one side wall when the loading device is inserted into said apparatus, and wherein the second lead plate covers the opening in said one side wall when the loading device is extended from said apparatus.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suspension device includes a first piston-cylinder device having one end attached to a side-wall of said at least one side wall and another end connected to said loading device.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the activating means includes a second piston-cylinder device having two ends, of which one end is connected to the first moveable wall-section and the other end is connected to the second moveable wall-section for supporting the second moveable wall-section and to enable the first and the second moveable wall-sections to move relative to one another between a first card supporting position in which the at least one card is placed and held between said first and said second card holders, and a second card releasing position in which the card holders are separated so as to release the at least one card.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each card holder includes a strip which projects out from said respective wall-section;

and the strip on the first wall-section is positioned at a bottom of said first wall-section.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein electronics module means is provided for controlling said apparatus, said electronic module means being attached to the lead chamber and positioned adjacent to and arranged vertically in line with the lead chamber.

7. An apparatus according to claim 2, in which a reaction vessel in the form of a pipe section is connected to a free end of a sleeve, said apparatus further including two heating jaws which surround said pipe section to heat process liquid which flows through said pipe section, of which heating jaws, one jaw is mounted on the first wall-section and the other jaw is mounted on the second wall-section in a position essentially opposite the first heating jaw, so as to coact therewith.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one card includes an elongated strip having a row of openings, and a sleeve which is arranged around each opening and projects below one main surface of the strip and is formed integrally with said strip for supporting said containers.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said containers are injectors each comprising a cylindrical container having two ends, of which one end has a flange and the other end has a tapering cone, a piston which moves in each said cylindrical container, and a stem having two ends, of which one is attached to the piston, wherein the cone of each injector is inserted into a respective sleeve on the at least one card, wherein a number of lever arms are mounted on the first wall-section, each of said lever arms coacting with a respective injector and each having two ends, of which one end is pivotally mounted on the first wall-section and the other end of which is free;

and in that said apparatus further includes a tensioning device which is mounted adjacent to and engages each lever arm to bring the free end of a respective lever arm into contact with the injector flange so as to urge the injector cone into liquid-tight engagement with a respective sleeve on said at least one card and to press the at least one card towards the card holders.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said lead chamber comprises a number of linear stepping motors, each coacting with a respective injector and each being provided with a linearly moveable shaft having two ends, of which one end carries a clamping unit for clamping around the other end of the injector stem so as to enable the piston to move within the container, said stepping motors being arranged at the first wall-section in positions above respective injectors and in line therewith.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each clamping unit has attached thereto an optical position sensor means for detecting the position of the other end of the injector stem and thereby the position of the piston in the container.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each clamping unit further includes a cylindrical block having provided therein a substantially vertical bore which receives the other end of the injector stem, a substantially horizontal compressed-air piston-cylinder device which is attached to said block and has a piston rod extending through a wall of the cylindrical block and, when activated, functions to urge the injector stem towards a wall of the vertical bore, said wall functioning as an anvil surface against which the injector stem is clamped firmly in the block.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, in which a reaction vessel in the form of a pipe section is connected to a free end of a sleeve, said apparatus further including two heating jaws which surround said pipe section to heat process liquid which flows though said pipe section, of which heating jaws, one jaw is mounted on the first wall-section and the other jaw is mounted on the second wall-section in a position essentially opposite the first heating jaw, so as to coact therewith.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said system of hoses and valves comprises a plurality of hoses and a plurality of compressed-air operated pinch valves which function to control flow of process liquids between containers, each pinch valve of said plurality of pinch valves being attached to a respective hose.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including electronics module means for controlling said apparatus, said electronics module means being attached to the lead chamber and arranged vertically in line with the lead chamber.

16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said system of hoses and valves comprises a plurality of hoses and a plurality of compressed-air operated pinch valves which function to control flow of process liquids between containers and reaction vessels, each pinch valve of said plurality of pinch valves being attached to a respective hose.