THE IMPACT OF RADIOACTIVITY ON MEDICINE

Radioactivity has revolutionized life sciences during the last century , and it is still an indispensable tool. Nuclear medicine today is a w ell established branch of medicine. Radionuclides and radiopharmaceuti cals play a key role both in diagnostic investigations and therapy-Bot h cyclotron and reactor produced radionuclides find application, the f ormer more in diagnostic studies and the latter in therapy. With the a dvent of emission tomography (PET and SPET), new vistas for probing bi ochemistry in vivo have been opened. The radiochemist faces an ever-in creasing challenge of designing new tracers for diagnostic and therape utic applications. Rapid, efficient and automated methods of radionucl ide and precursor production, labeling of biomolecules, and quality co ntrol need to be developed.