Breakthrough in Microfluidics: On-Demand Synthesis of Fluorine-18 in the Hospital Pharmacy

Our team at Pharma In-Minute has reached a significant milestone in developing a compact microfluidic system for the synthesis of short-lived radiopharmaceuticals, such as Fluorine-18 labeled compounds for PET scans.

The core of our technology is a glass microreactor with integrated channels only a few micrometers wide. Inside, the chemical reactions necessary to couple the radioactive isotope to a pharmaceutical carrier molecule (tracer) take place. The process is fully automated and controlled by our software, requiring the pharmacist to only input the starting parameters.

The advantage is clear: instead of producing and transporting radiopharmaceuticals centrally – where precious activity is lost due to radioactive decay – synthesis can now occur in the hospital's own pharmacy, right next to the PET scanner. This minimizes transport losses and maximizes the available dose for the patient.

Our first clinical prototype, the "MinuteFlow-18", is currently undergoing validation studies in collaboration with the Academic Medical Center. Initial results show a synthesis efficiency of >75% and a total production time of less than 25 minutes.

This development opens the door to more personalized and efficient nuclear medicine, where treatments can be better tailored to the individual patient and the current disease state.