Imaging and nuclear medicine
Radionuclides, radiopharmaceuticals, theranostic pairs, imaging biomarkers, scanners and dosimetry concepts, connected to live trials, labels and literature.
- Nuclear medicine images function rather than structure, using tracer amounts of radioactive compounds.
- PET detects paired 511 keV photons from positron emitters; SPECT images single gamma photons through a collimator.
- Theranostics images a target with one radionuclide and treats it with another, using the same or a related ligand.
- RadioGx explains dosimetry concepts, shows source-reported text and offers teaching calculators (decay, production, BED/EQD2) in the Labs. They are not patient dosimetry.
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Theranostic pairs
Each pair reaches one target with an imaging radionuclide and a therapeutic one. This is a reference index; check current status live in trials and labels.
Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) theranostics
Imaging with gallium-68 or copper-64 somatostatin analogues; therapy with lutetium-177 analogues; lead-212 and other alpha emitters under study.
PSMA theranostics
Imaging with gallium-68 or fluorine-18 PSMA ligands; therapy with lutetium-177 ligands; actinium-225 ligands under study.
Radioiodine (NIS) theranostics
The oldest theranostic pairing: iodine-123 or iodine-124 imaging and iodine-131 therapy.
MIBG theranostics
Iodine-123 MIBG imaging; iodine-131 MIBG therapy.
FAP theranostics (research)
FAP-targeted imaging and therapy agents are largely investigational.
CXCR4 theranostics (research)
Pentixafor imaging; pentixather-type therapy agents studied in haematological disease.
CD20 radioimmunotherapy
Antibody-based radioimmunotherapy targeting CD20.
Copper-64 / copper-67 pair (research)
The same chelated molecule labelled with an imaging and a therapeutic copper isotope.
Radionuclides
The 30 radionuclides RadioGx recognises, with physical properties for orientation.
| Radionuclide | Physical half-life (reference) | Main decay | Typical role | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18F Fluorine | ≈109.8 minutes | β+ (positron), electron capture | PET imaging | |
| 68Ga Gallium | ≈67.7 minutes | β+, electron capture | PET imaging | |
| 64Cu Copper | ≈12.7 hours | β+, β−, electron capture | PET imaging | |
| 67Cu Copper | ≈61.8 hours | β− | Therapy research | |
| 89Zr Zirconium | ≈78.4 hours | β+, electron capture | Immuno-PET research | |
| 11C Carbon | ≈20.4 minutes | β+ | PET imaging | |
| 13N Nitrogen | ≈10.0 minutes | β+ | PET imaging | |
| 15O Oxygen | ≈2.0 minutes | β+ | PET imaging | |
| 82Rb Rubidium | ≈1.3 minutes | β+ | PET imaging | |
| 124I Iodine | ≈4.2 days | β+, electron capture | PET imaging | |
| 99mTc Technetium | ≈6.0 hours | Isomeric transition (gamma ≈140 keV) | SPECT and planar imaging | |
| 111In Indium | ≈2.8 days | Electron capture | SPECT imaging | |
| 123I Iodine | ≈13.2 hours | Electron capture | SPECT imaging | |
| 201Tl Thallium | ≈3.0 days | Electron capture | SPECT imaging | |
| 67Ga Gallium | ≈3.3 days | Electron capture | SPECT imaging | |
| 133Xe Xenon | ≈5.2 days | β− | Ventilation imaging | |
| 131I Iodine | ≈8.0 days | β− (gamma ≈364 keV) | Therapy and imaging | |
| 177Lu Lutetium | ≈6.6 days | β− (gammas ≈113 and ≈208 keV) | Radioligand therapy | |
| 90Y Yttrium | ≈64 hours | β− (pure β emitter) | Therapy | |
| 153Sm Samarium | ≈46 hours | β− | Therapy (bone) | |
| 89Sr Strontium | ≈50.5 days | β− | Therapy (bone) | |
| 223Ra Radium | ≈11.4 days | α (with α and β daughters) | Alpha therapy | |
| 225Ac Actinium | ≈9.9 days | α (decay chain with several α emissions) | Targeted alpha therapy research | |
| 212Pb Lead | ≈10.6 hours | β− (to bismuth-212, then α) | Targeted alpha therapy research | |
| 213Bi Bismuth | ≈46 minutes | β−, α | Targeted alpha therapy research | |
| 211At Astatine | ≈7.2 hours | α, electron capture | Targeted alpha therapy research | |
| 161Tb Terbium | ≈6.9 days | β− with conversion and Auger electrons | Therapy research | |
| 166Ho Holmium | ≈26.8 hours | β− | Therapy (microspheres) | |
| 188Re Rhenium | ≈17 hours | β− | Therapy research | |
| 227Th Thorium | ≈18.7 days | α | Targeted alpha therapy research |
Reference values for orientation. Check authoritative values in the IAEA LiveChart of Nuclides (opens in a new tab). Physical half-life is not a dose and not a precaution.
Radiopharmaceuticals by target
Names, targets and radionuclides from the RadioGx reference index. Inclusion does not mean approval anywhere; open a record to see live labels and trials.
PSMA
Prostate-specific membrane antigen (glutamate carboxypeptidase II)
- Lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (therapeutic)
- Lutetium Lu 177 PSMA I&T (therapeutic)
- Actinium Ac 225 PSMA-617 (therapeutic)
- Copper Cu 64 / Cu 67 SAR-bisPSMA (diagnostic)
- Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide (diagnostic)
- Piflufolastat F 18 (diagnostic)
- Flotufolastat F 18 (diagnostic)
- F-18 PSMA-1007 (diagnostic)
SSTR2
Somatostatin receptor subtype 2
- Lutetium Lu 177 dotatate (therapeutic)
- Gallium Ga 68 dotatate (diagnostic)
- Gallium Ga 68 dotatoc (diagnostic)
- Copper Cu 64 dotatate (diagnostic)
- Indium In 111 pentetreotide (diagnostic)
- Lead Pb 212 DOTAMTATE (therapeutic)
- Copper Cu 64 / Cu 67 SARTATE (diagnostic)
FAP
Fibroblast activation protein
- Gallium Ga 68 FAPI (diagnostic)
- FAP-targeted radioligand therapy (therapeutic)
CXCR4
C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4
- Gallium Ga 68 pentixafor (diagnostic)
HER2
Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-2
- Zirconium Zr 89 trastuzumab (diagnostic)
NIS
Sodium/iodide symporter
- Sodium iodide I 131 (therapeutic)
- Sodium iodide I 123 (diagnostic)
Norepinephrine transporter
Norepinephrine transporter (MIBG uptake)
- Iobenguane I 123 (diagnostic)
- Iobenguane I 131 (therapeutic)
Estrogen receptor
Estrogen receptor alpha
- Fluoroestradiol F 18 (diagnostic)
CD20
B-lymphocyte antigen CD20
- Yttrium Y 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (therapeutic)
Dopamine transporter
Dopamine transporter
- Ioflupane I 123 (diagnostic)
GLUT1 / glucose metabolism
Glucose transporter 1 (FDG uptake pathway)
- Fludeoxyglucose F 18 (diagnostic)
CD206 (mannose receptor)
Macrophage mannose receptor 1
- Technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept (diagnostic)
β-amyloid
Amyloid-β plaques (neurology)
- Florbetapir F 18 (diagnostic)
- Flutemetamol F 18 (diagnostic)
- Florbetaben F 18 (diagnostic)
Tau
Tau neurofibrillary tangles (neurology)
- Flortaucipir F 18 (diagnostic)
Learn the foundations
Nuclear Medicine Foundations
Radionuclides, radiopharmaceuticals, PET, SPECT and planar imaging, and the hybrid scanners that combine them.
- What nuclear medicine is
- Radionuclides: decay, half-life and production
- Diagnostic versus therapeutic use
- PET, SPECT and planar imaging
- Hybrid imaging and public safety context
5 lessons · Students, technologists, public
Radiopharmaceuticals & Theranostics
How a target, a ligand, a chelator and a radionuclide combine, and how theranostic pairs let the same target be imaged and treated.
- Anatomy of a radiopharmaceutical
- Theranostic pairs: see it, then treat it
- Targets in practice: SSTR, PSMA, NIS, FAP and more
- Alpha and beta therapy, and emerging radionuclides
- Reading a radiopharmaceutical record safely
5 lessons · Researchers, clinicians, regulatory
Imaging Biomarkers & Radiomics
What makes a measurement a biomarker, how SUV and reporting systems work, and the radiomics pipeline with its reproducibility caveats.
- What makes a measurement an imaging biomarker
- SUV and PET quantification
- Structured reporting systems
- The radiomics pipeline
- Feature families: shape, first-order, texture, higher-order
- Reproducibility caveats
- AI segmentation and deep learning: caution
7 lessons · Researchers, physicists, data scientists
Dosimetry & Radiation Safety Context
Half-lives, absorbed and effective dose, the MIRD idea and radiation protection, explained as concepts with no patient calculation.
- Physical, biological and effective half-life
- Absorbed dose, equivalent dose and effective dose
- The MIRD idea, without the calculator
- Organs at risk and administered activity as label concepts
- Radiation protection and who regulates it
5 lessons · Physicists, technologists, students
About this tool
What is Imaging & nuclear medicine?
The imaging and nuclear medicine hub is a reference index of radionuclides with reference half-lives, theranostic pairs and radiopharmaceuticals by target, linked to live trials, labels, devices and literature.
Key features
- Radionuclide table with reference half-life, decay mode and typical role
- Theranostic pairs and targets (SSTR2, PSMA, FAP and more)
- One-click searches into trials, labels, devices and literature
- Links to the IAEA LiveChart for authoritative nuclear data
Frequently asked questions
What is theranostics?
Theranostics pairs an imaging radiopharmaceutical with a therapeutic one aimed at the same target, such as gallium-68 and lutetium-177 compounds binding PSMA or SSTR2. Imaging shows whether the target is present; it does not guarantee a treatment response.
Where do the half-lives come from?
They are reference values for orientation. RadioGx links to the IAEA LiveChart of Nuclides for authoritative values, and the Decay lab uses ICRP-107 data via radioactivedecay.