arXiv subjects

Jose R Alonso

Publications and source records attributed to Jose R Alonso.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Medical Radioisotopes: Clinical Demand, Production Physics, and Untapped Pathways

Over 40 radioisotopes are currently in use or under development across virtually all fields of modern medicine. Their availability relies on a complex interplay of nuclear physics, radiochemistry, and nuclear medicine. This review provides an isotope-by-isotope map of medically important radioisotopes from the perspective of these disparate yet complementary fields. We address the landscape grouped into three tiers: the established clinical core, including, familiar workhorses such as Tc-99m, F-18, Lu-177; an under-leveraged middle tier including Re-186, Re-188, and Sm-153, and the emerging frontier, radioisotopes with demonstrated but underutilised clinical promise such as Ac-225, At-211, Cu-67, and Sc-47. We discuss the properties of these radioisotopes with respect to clinical applications and their production pathways, as well as the associated nuclear and radiochemical challenges. We synthesise these disparate perspectives to identify situations in which alleviating production-side bottlenecks may improve access and patient outcomes.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2026

Medical Radioisotopes: Supply-chain Resilience, Distributed Production, and Access

Over 50 million diagnostic procedures involving medical radioisotopes are performed per year and the number of therapeutic and theranostic agents continues to climb. Yet, the global supply chain is far from stable and many regions are underserved. This is the second of a Series of two review papers providing a comprehensive overview of the landscape of medically relevant radioisotopes. This paper focuses on the supply chain. It presents a critical overview of the 2025-2026 status quo, case studies of acute stressors and disruptions they caused, and methods in place to secure a stable supply. A literature-based analysis is paired with expert interviews. We argue that the ageing fleet of nuclear reactors currently used for the centralised production of many isotopes should be complemented by regional accelerator-based centres, alleviating single-point failures and cross-border logistics complications, and increasing access to short-lived isotopes in harder-to-reach regions and low- and middle-income countries.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2020

What is the Potential Impact of the IsoDAR Cyclotron on Radioisotope Production: A Review

The IsoDAR collaboration is developing a high-current cyclotron for a neutrino search experiment. Designed to deliver 10 mA of 60 MeV protons, the current and power of this cyclotron far exceed those of existing accelerators, opening new possibilities for the production of radiopharmaceutical isotopes, producing very high-activity samples in very short times. The cyclotron can also be easily configured to deliver ions other than protons including 1 mA of alpha particles at 240 MeV: this flexibility gives a broad reach into new areas of isotope production. We explain how IsoDAR overcomes the beam limits of commercial cyclotrons, and how it could represent the next step in isotope production rates.

physics.acc-ph↗