A remotely controllable sublimation apparatus that includes a crucible block adapted to retain a crucible containing a solid mixture comprising one or more radionuclides, a first heating block comprising one or more first heating elements configured to selectively generate heat having a first temperature sufficient to at least partially sublime the solid mixture, and a collection vessel coupled to the first heating block. The crucible block is movable, relative to the first heating block, between an open position and a closed positon. When the crucible block is in the closed position, the one or more first heating elements are configured to heat the crucible block to the first temperature, thereby heating the solid mixture and producing a vapor that is collected by the collection vessel and leaving a solid residue in the crucible that substantially consists only of the one or more radionuclides.

Methods for setting up, maintaining and operating a radiopharmaceutical infusion system, that includes a radioisotope generator, are facilitated by a computer of the system. The computer may include pre-programmed instructions and a computer interface, for interaction with a user of the system, for example, in order to track contained volumes of eluant and/or eluate, and/or to track time from completion of an elution performed by the system, and/or to calculate one or more system and/or injection parameters for quality control, and/or to perform purges of the system, and/or to facilitate diagnostic imaging.

A radioactive fine particle manufacturing system and method to manufacture physically stable radioactive fine particles, and which enables performance evaluation of a radioactivity measuring instrument employing a physical indicator, by controlling radioactivity concentration, and facilitating performance evaluation of the overall radioactivity measuring instrument. The radioactive fine particle manufacturing system includes a radioactive gas generating system, a specific particle-sized aerosol generating system and a mixing chamber, to manufacture radioactive fine particles employing natural radioactive nuclides, and uses. .sup.220Rn to manufacture radioactive fine particles using physically stable progeny nuclides. In the mixing chamber, the progeny nuclides are caused to attach only to an aerosol having a specific particle size, to generate radioactive fine particles having a specific particle size.

The invention relates to a radioisotope generator (1) comprising an eluent reservoir (2) and a chromatographic column (3) connected to one another by a first eluent duct (4), characterized in that it comprises a second duct (7) and a valve (8) connected said second duct (7) to the first eluent duct and the first eluent duct, said valve (8) having a first position where the second duct (7) communicates with the first eluent duct (4) and a second position where the second duct (7) communicates with the first eluent duct (4), said second duct (7) having a bypass segment (9) for a predetermined eluent volume.

A cabinet structure for an infusion system includes a platform, on which the system is mounted, and a shell surrounding an interior space, which contains at least a portion of the system. The shell preferably includes an opening that is sized and oriented to allow a lowering of a radioisotope generator, for the system, into the interior space, and a lifting of the generator out from the interior space. The shell may further include another opening, located at a higher elevation than the aforementioned opening, in order to provide access to a waste bottle of the infusion system.

A capsule for the transfer of a target material in a conveying system between a target irradiation station and a collecting station comprising: a beamline channel for the passage of an energetic beam irradiating the target material, a target holder holding the target material or a substrate backing the target material at a glancing angle with respect to the beamline channel axis, a degrader foil positioned across the beamline channel for degrading an energy of the energetic beam upstream of the target material, a target cooling inlet and a target cooling outlet for passage of a cooling fluid in a target cooling duct in a vicinity of the target holder such that the target material can be cooled during an irradiation, and a degrader foil cooling inlet and a degrader foil cooling outlet for passage of a cooling gas in a vicinity of the degrader foil.

A system for manufacturing radionuclide generators includes an enclosure defining a radioactive environment. The enclosure includes radiation shielding to prevent radiation within the radioactive environment from moving to an exterior of the enclosure. The system also includes a pump within the enclosure for transferring fluid through tubing. The pump includes a pump head including a casing, a rotor that rotates in relation to the casing, and a clamp. The tubing extends through the pump head. The clamp compresses the tubing against the rotor and directs radioactive fluid through the tubing as the rotor rotates. The pump also includes a servomotor that controls the rotation of the rotor and a coupling connecting the pump head to the servomotor. The coupling prevents backlash between the servomotor and the rotor during rotation.

A system for manufacturing radionuclide generators includes an enclosure defining a radioactive environment. The enclosure includes radiation shielding to prevent radiation within the radioactive environment from moving to an exterior of the enclosure. The system also includes a conveyance system having a forward track and first carriages positioned on and movable along the forward track for conveying racks in a first direction. The conveyance system also includes a first walking beam mechanism magnetically coupled to the first carriages to move the first carriages. The conveyance system further includes a return track and second carriages positioned on and movable along the return track for conveying racks in a second direction opposite the first direction. The forward track and the return track form a loop.

A method includes sterilizing a column assembly including a column having a parent radionuclide contained therein with a sterilizer. The method further includes transferring the column assembly from the sterilizer to a first clean room environment, transferring the column assembly from the first clean room environment to a second clean room environment, and collecting a sterility test sample from the column assembly within the second clean room environment.

Systems and methods for sterilizing a column assembly including a column having an interior containing a retaining media and a parent radionuclide retained by the retaining media, an inlet port in fluid communication with the interior of the column, and an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior of the column. The method includes sealing at least one of the inlet port and the outlet port to form a sealed column assembly such that fluid communication with the column interior though both the inlet port and the outlet port is prevented, and sterilizing the sealed column assembly to form a terminally-sterilized column assembly.