Investigation of production routes for the 161Ho Auger-electron emitting radiolanthanide, a candidate for therapy

TL;DR

This study investigates various production methods for the therapeutic radiolanthanide 161Ho, focusing on experimental excitation functions and comparison with theoretical models to optimize its generation for medical use.

Contribution

It provides new experimental excitation data for 161Ho production via natDy reactions and compares these with TALYS code predictions, aiding in optimizing production routes.

Findings

Experimental excitation functions for natDy(p,xn)161Ho and natDy(d,x)161Ho measured up to 40 and 50 MeV.

Comparison of experimental data with TALYS code results from TENDL 2011.

Discussion of main parameters affecting production routes for 161Ho.

Abstract

The radiolanthanide 161Ho (2.48 h) is a promising Auger-electron emitter for internal radiotherapy that can be produced with particle accelerators. The excitation functions of the natDy(p,xn)161Ho and natDy(d,x)161Ho reactions were measured up to 40 and 50 MeV respectively by using the stacked foil activation method and gamma-ray spectrometry. The experimental data were compared with results of the TALYS code available in the TENDL 2011 library [1]. The main parameters of different production routes are discussed.