Method and system for generating and collecting a radionuclide eluate

Claim 2

In a method of generating an eluate containing a desired daughter radionuclide by flowing an eluant, which is selectively solvent of said daughter radionuclide to form said eluate, from a source of said eluant through an inlet to and through a column containing A parent radionuclide which spontaneously decays into said daughter radionuclide, and from said column to an outlet, the improvement comprising coupling to said inlet in a closed fashion the interior of a sealed eluant vial containing a predetermined and prepackaged amount of said eluant and then coupling in a closed fashion to said outlet the interior of a sealed, evacuated eluate collecting vial to thereby automatically draw said eluate out of said eluant vial through said column and out of said outlet into said evacuated eluate vial by the vacuum in said evacuated vial, said improvement also comprising said sealed eluant vial containing an amount of eluant insufficient to fill said evacuated eluate vial and the eluate vial being of sufficient volume and being sufficiently evacuated so that air is drawn through said column after said eluant vial and column have been emptied of eluant to thereby dry said column for the next eluation.

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 wherein the eluate is filtered as it is discharged from the column through a filtering means, said air also being drawn through said filtering means after said eluant vial and column have been emptied and said eluate has been passed through said filter, and wherein a portion of said filtering means is hydrophobic to the eluate to thereby reduce resistance to flow of said air therethrough so that said air can be drawn through and from said column and filter by the reduced vacuum in said eluate vial after the eluant vial and column have been emptied and the eluate has been passed through said filtering means.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1 wherein said vials both have pierceable seals, wherein the evacuated eluate vial is coupled to said outlet by impaling its pierceable seal on outlet needle means in communication with said outlet and wherein the eluant vial is coupled to said inlet by impaling its pierceable seal onto inlet needle means to put the interior of said eluant vial in communication with said inlet and with a vent to the atmosphere through a sterile plug, whereby an eluate sample can be obtained in said eluate vial followed by drying the column for the next eluation merely by impaling said vials on said needle means.

Claim 5

A radionuclide generator system for generating a relatively short lived daughter radionuclide from a long lived parent radionuclide, which is spontaneously decayable into said short lived daughter radionuclide, comprising a generator column containing said parent radionuclide and said daughter radionuclide, said column having a column inlet means for inletting an eluant for said daughter radionuclide to form an eluate of said daughter radionuclide in said eluant and a column outlet means for outletting said eluate, said system also including a vent supported by said generator and positioned next to said inlet means, needle means associated with said inlet means and vent and mounted on said generator, said needle means being exposed so that the pierceable seal of a sealed eluant vial may be impaled on said needle means to thereby couple the interior of said eluant vial with said column and with said vent to vent said interior to the atmosphere, said column outlet means including needle means exposed for penetrating a pierceable seal of an evacuated eluate vial, said system including said eluant vial which contains a prepackaged and predetermined amount of eluant, said system also including said evacuated eluate vial, the amount of eluant in the eluant vial being insufficient to fill up the eluate vial and the amount of vacuum in said eluate vial being such that air is drawn through said vent and column into the eluate vial by the remaining vacuum in said eluate vial to dry said column after the eluant has been emptied from said eluant vial by the vacuum in said eluate vial.

Claim 6

A radionuclide generator system for generating a relatively short lived daughter radionuclide from a long lived parent radionuclide, which is spontaneously decayable into said short lived daughter radionuclide, comprising a generator column containing said parent radionuclide and said daughter radionuclide, said column having a column inlet means for inletting an eluant for said daughter radionuclide to form an eluate of said daughter radionuclide in said eluant and a column outlet means for outletting said eluate, said system also including a vent supported by said generator and positioned next to said inlet means, needle means associated with said inlet means and vent and mounted on said generator, said needle means being exposed so that the pierceable seal of a sealed eluant vial may be impaled on said needle means to thereby couple the interior of said eluant vial with said column and with said vent to vent said interior to the atmosphere, said column outlet means including needle means exposed for penetrating a pierceable seal of an evacuated eluate vial, said system including said eluant vial which contains a prepackaged and predetermined amount of eluant, said system also including said evacuated eluate vial, the amount of eluant in the eluant vial being insufficient to fill up the eluate vial and the amount of vacuum in said eluate vial being such that air is drawn through said vent and column into the eluate vial by the remaining vacuum in said eluate vial to dry said column after the eluant has been emptied from said eluant vial by the vacuum in said eluate vial.

Claim 7

A radionuclide generator system for generating a relatively short lived daughter radionuclide from a long lived parent radionuclide, which is spontaneously decayable into said short lived radionuclide Comprising a generator column containing said parent radionuclide and said daughter radionuclide, said column having a column inlet means for inletting an eluant for said daughter radionuclide to form an eluate of said daughter radionuclide in said eluant and for inletting air to vent said system during eluation and to dry said column between eluations and column outlet means for outletting said eluate during eluations and air after each eluation, said eluate, during eluation, and said air, after said eluation, being drawn into said inlet and through said column by coupling to said outlet means a sealed evacuated eluate vial and filtering means positioned after said column for filter sterlizing said eluate, said filtering means including a portion thereof which is hydrophobic to the eluate so that air can be drawn through the filter by the reduced vacuum in said eluate vial to dry said column after a predetermined amount of the eluate has been drawn by the vacuum in said eluate vial thorugh said column, through another portion of the filter and into said eluate vial.

Claim 8

A radionuclide generator system for generating a relatively short lived daughter radionuclide from a long lived parent radionuclide, which is spontaneously decayable into said short lived radionuclide Comprising a generator column containing said parent radionuclide and said daughter radionuclide, said column having a column inlet means for inletting an eluant for said daughter radionuclide to form an eluate of said daughter radionuclide in said eluant and for inletting air to vent said system during eluation and to dry said column between eluations and column outlet means for outletting said eluate during eluations and air after each eluation, said eluate, during eluation, and said air, after said eluation, being drawn into said inlet and through said column by coupling to said outlet means a sealed evacuated eluate vial and filtering means positioned after said column for filter sterlizing said eluate, said filtering means including a portion thereof which is hydrophobic to the eluate so that air can be drawn through the filter by the reduced vacuum in said eluate vial to dry said column after a predetermined amount of the eluate has been drawn by the vacuum in said eluate vial thorugh said column, through another portion of the filter and into said eluate vial.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 1, said air being inletted into said eluant vial through a sterile plug to provide sterile venting of said eluant vial during eluation and to provide a source of said air for drying said column after said eluation.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 3, said inlet needle means comprising a pair of needles one of which is in communication with said inlet and the other of which is in communication with said vent to the atmosphere, said eluant vial being coupled to said inlet and being vented to the atmosphere by impaling said pierceable seal thereof on said pair of needles, said vent venting said eluant vial to the atmosphere during eluation of the eluant vial and providing a source of air for drying said column after said eluation.

Claim 11

A system according to claim 4, said system also including filtering means between said column and said column outlet means for filtering said eluate, said air being drawn through said filtering means by said remaining vacuum.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 8, said needle means associated with said inlet means and vent comprising a first inlet needle mounted on said generator in communication with said column and forming a part of said inlet means and a second vent needle forming part of said vent and located next to said first needle, both said needles being exposed so that said pieceable seal of said eluant vial is impaled on both said needles.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 8, including a plurality of said eluant vials and a plurality of said eluate vials for a plurality of eluations, the pierceable seal of each eluant vial being impaled on said inlet needle and said vent needle followed by impaling the pierceable seal of an eluate vial on said outlet needle means to automatically achieve an eluation with drying of the column after such eluation.

Claim 14

A system according to claim 8, said inlet needle and vent needle being mounted in a well at the top of the generator and said outlet needle means being mounted in another well at the top of said generator.

Claim 15

A system according to claim 9, said filtering means including a portion which is hydrophobic to said eluate to reduce resistance to flow of air therethrough by the reduced vacuum in said eluate vial after the eluant vial and column have been emptied and said eluate has passed through said filtering means.