INTRO SENTENCE:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology developed a platform and method for high-throughput radio-thin layer chromatography analysis.
BACKGROUND:
Radio thin layer chromatography (radio-TLC) is an analytical technique that allows the identification and quantification of different compounds in a radioactive mixture. In applications where the samples contains a small number of different radioactive species, radio-TLC can give adequate separation of compounds and is preferred over complex methods such as radio-high-performance liquid chromatography (radio-HPLC) due to its simplicity and relatively quick analysis time. Radio-TLC is widely used by laboratories and radiopharmaceutical companies.
The conventional TLC scanner typically can only read one sample per plate and one plate at a time. The TLC plate is manually developed in the mobile phase for separation and then placed in the radio-TLC scanner for analysis. The process is laborious and low-throughput. Although some approaches (e.g. specialized radio—LC scanners, electronic autoradiography, and Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging) can automatically scan multiple TLC plates at a time, the overall analysis is still time-consuming due to the developing process, and these technologies usually come at great instrument and assay costs. There is an unmet need for scalable, high-throughput technology for radio-TLC analysis at low cost.
INNOVATION:
UCLA researchers led by Prof. Michael van Dam developed novel methods for high-throughput analysis via radio-TLC. These methods are ideal for applications that require analyzing a large number of samples simultaneously in a short period of time, such as optimization of synthesis conditions and preparation of radiolabeled compound libraries. This invention can also be applied for the analysis of radiotracers labeled with radionuclides that are position emitters (F-18, Cu-65, Zr-89, I-124) used for PET imaging and radiopharmaceuticals labeled with beta emitters (e.g., I-131, Lu-177). Furthermore, the rapid analysis allows optimal detection of short-lived isotopes such as C-11 with a half-life of only 20.4 minutes.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
• High-throughput readout platform for radio-TLC
• Higher number of replicate samples for increased data robustness
• Ideal platform for optimizing radiosynthesis conditions
• Ideal platform for preparation of compound libraries
ADVANTAGES:
• High-throughput on a single TLC plate
• Time efficient analysis of 96 samples in one hour
• Scalable
• Separation and readout of each TLC plate can be completed in a few minutes
• Readout via high-resolution imaging can readily detect spotting and developing problems
• High resolution affords clear sample separation and accurate quantification with a short separation distance (and short separation time)
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:
Using a prototype imaging system, the invention has been tested to analyze PET tracer samples and performance (accuracy, precision, throughput) has been compared with conventional radio-TLC scanning.