Towards the synthesis of 18F-SV2A radiotracers

Qin, Marong 2026. Towards the synthesis of 18F-SV2A radiotracers. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a clinically used technology for the detection, diagnosis and staging of diseases, making use of molecules labelled with positron-emitting radionuclides such as fluorine-18. A major bottleneck to date has been methods that allow for the reliable and reproducible synthesis of these radiotracer molecules. This thesis develops an asymmetric synthesis of the boronic esters precursors of the SV2A PET radiotracers [18F] SynVesT‑1 and [18F] SynVesT‑2, which are increasingly used to study a variety of neurological diseases but are non-trivial to produce. We also demonstrate how these boronic precursors can be used to produce multi-patient doses of these radiotracers on an automated synthesis platform. Chapter 1 reviews the principle and application for PET imaging, and the commonly used radionuclides. The use of SV2A as a validated proxy for synaptic density and relevance to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is discussed. Chapter 2 focuses on the chemical syntheses of the racemic boronic precursors of the [18F] SynVesT‑1 and [18F] SynVesT‑2 radiotracers and references standards. Chapter 3 focuses on the chemical syntheses of the enantioenriched boronic precursors of the [18F] SynVesT‑1 and [18F] SynVesT‑2 radiotracers and references standards. Chapter 4 details our work on the development and optimisation of the radiochemical synthesis of the 18F-radiotracers. Chapter 5 describes our work using a silver oxide catalyst to expand the range of accessible radiotracer molecules. Part of this work was published as: “The synthesis of [18F] SynVesT-1 and [18F] SynVesT-2 from enantioenriched boronic esters”, Chem Commun. 2025, 61, 17689–17692. (DOI: 10.1039/D5CC05507E.)

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 May 2026
Last Modified:	11 May 2026 16:16
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186939

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