Radio Pharmacist/ Radio-Chemist
Radiopharmacists/Radiochemists are responsible for formulating and dispensing prescribed radioactive tracers for clinical use. They are trained in radioactive tracer techniques, the safe handling of radioactive materials, the preparation and quality control of radiopharmaceuticals for administration to humans, and the basic principles of nuclear medicine.
Roles and Responsibilities
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1) Prepares and dispenses radiopharmaceuticals used for patient's diagnosis and therapy, applying principles and practices of hospital radiopharmacy.
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2) Verifies specified radioactive substances and reagents by quality control that will give desired results in examination or treatment procedures, utilizing knowledge of radiopharmaceutical preparation and principles of radiopharmaceutical biodistribution.
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3) Calculates the volume of radioactive pharmaceutical required to provide the patient with the desired level of radioactivity at the prescribed time, according to established rates of radioisotope decay.
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5) Assays prepared radiopharmaceutical, using measuring instruments and equipment, such as a radioisotope dose calibrator, to verify rate of drug disintegration and to ensure that patient receives the correct dose.
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6) Consults with physician following patient treatment or procedure to review and evaluate quality and effectiveness of radiopharmaceutical.
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7) Conducts research to develop or improve radiopharmaceuticals.
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8)Prepares reports for regulatory agencies to obtain approval for testing and use of new radiopharmaceuticals.
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9) Maintains records for receipt, storage, preparation, and disposal of radioactive nuclei.
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10) Conducts training for students and staff concerning radiopharmacy use, characteristics, and compounding procedures.
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Radiopharmaceutical Preparations
Radiopharmaceutical preparations made by the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) are attached for easy access:
Youtube tutorials
Radioactive equilibrium in Nuclear Medicine
This video explains Radioactive equilibria used in Nuclear Medicine. Various situations like Bateman's equation, Transient equilibrium and Secular equilibrium with examples are explained in detail in this video. This is a very good reference material for Students pursuing Nuclear Medicine.
Principle and Working of Radionuclide generators in Nuclear Medicine
This video explains the principle and working of Radionuclide generators such as Mo99 - Tc99m, Ge68-Ga68, W188-Re188 used in Nuclear Medicine.
Gallium Chemistry and Labelling
This video explains about Gallium chemistry and its labelling with different peptides. It also explains about trending gallium radiopharmaceuticals, best labelling practices, challenges during labelling procedures and quality control of labelled radiopharmaceuticals.
Radiochemical Purity Tests | 99mTc Radiopharmaceuticals
This video explains about Radiochemical purity test for 99mTechnetium radiopharmaceuticals. The difference between Quality assurance and Quality control is shown. Column chromatography with various solvent materials like organic and inorganic phases has been explained with example.