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Science 16 December 2005:
Vol. 310. no. 5755, p. 1737
DOI: 10.1126/science.310.5755.1737d
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Figure 1 Positron emission tomography (PET) achieves local sensitivity in medical imaging of organs by detecting the emissive decay of isotopically unstable molecular probes. This instability also requires the rapid and efficient synthesis of probe compounds. Lee et al. (p. 1793) have built a computer-controlled device, roughly the size of a penny, for optimizing the speed and cost of such preparations. The micrometer-scale valves and channels achieve rapid mixing and solvent exchange, and efficient heat transfer, as demonstrated in the multistep synthesis of 18F-radiolabeled 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose, the most widely used PET probe.

CREDIT: LEE ET AL.




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