A simple, versatile, low-cost and remotely operated apparatus for [11C]acetate, [11C]choline, [11C]methionine and [11C]PIB synthesis.

A simple, efficient and remotely operated synthesis apparatus for carrying out routine [(11)C]carboxylation, on-column and bubbling [(11)C]methylation was essential for reliable, day-to-day production of [(11)C]-labelled PET radiopharmaceuticals. We developed an in-house apparatus specifically applied to the synthesis of [(11)C]acetate, [(11)C]choline, [(11)C]methionine and 2-(4'-N-[(11)C]methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ([(11)C]PIB), where high radiochemical purity (>or= 97%) and moderate radiochemical yields (18% for [(11)C]PIB, 41-55% for the others) could be achieved. These findings provided evidence that this was a fast, versatile and reliable apparatus suitable for a PET/CT centre with limited financial budget and hot cell space for synthesis of [(11)C]-labelled radiopharmaceuticals.