Resources

Besides the cyclotron and hotcells, there are many resources available for use in the Facility.

In the QC room: 

We currently have two Agilent based analytical testing station.  It contains an HPLC, quaternary pump, VWD, and GC.  They also have a Eckert & Ziegler single lane TLC and a LabLogic single lane TLC, both with dual channel radiation detectors provide for a plastic scintillator for the TLC and an NaI(Tl) scintillator for the radio-HPLC.  We have one networked Agilent GC and will be adding a 2nd unit shortly.  Two -20˚C freezers, two 6˚C refrigerators, a room temperature incubator, a 37˚C incubator, two flammable liquids cabinets and control computers are also provided.  High quality de-ionized water, Milli-Q grade, is provided by two Millipore Integral 3 systems.  Adjacent to the QC/control area is a small materials storage room with a quarantine closet and quarantine freezer and refrigerator.

A Captus NaI(Tl) based thyroid system with integrated multi-channel analyzer provides for Radionuclidic purity determination.  A Capintec CRC-15 allows for determination of half-life.  Also, within this space is a Canberra liquid scintillator system and an independent and separate Cobra gamma-counter.  Analytical balances, vortexers, an autoclave, and other standard chemistry equipment are also available.  There are multiple color laser printers and permanently wall mounted hand and foot Geiger counter systems.  The Facility also has a supply of portable GM and ion chambers for radiation protection. 

All critical systems: HPLC, TLC, GC, water treatment, vacuum, house compressed air, etc. are under service contracts and are validated and certified.

Research Laboratory: 

The design of the Facility is based on the concept of Quality by Design and aims to be cGMP compliant.  The designers feel strongly that cGMP is not antithetical to research but it is acknowledged that allowances must be made for preliminary investigations into labeling new compounds.  Therefore, a small laboratory (pictured above) has been provided for low-level labeling and other activities outside of the cleanroom environments.  The research laboratory is over 400 square feet of space outside of the main radiochemistry area but still within the Facility.  Currently it houses a Dionex uHPLC system with a quaternary pump and a radiodetector.  It also has a roto-vap, desiccator, high temperature furnace, a dry box, centrifuges, and two fume hoods.  One of the fume hoods has shielding and an L-block for low level labeling experiments. 

With future funding, the east wall of this research laboratory can be removed and two, large, Comecer MIP1100 style hot cells can be installed.  An appropriate trench already exists behind the wall and two 4” or 100 mm diameter PVC conduits lead under the concrete floor slab back to the cyclotron vault so that radiofluids can be directly transferred to the future hot cells.  This would allow for working with larger amounts of radioactivity in a safe manner.  It was not intended for this room to be used for organic chemistry or even major synthetic chemistry procedures.  The department has other space available for such work outside of the Cyclotron Facility.