Orano Med adopts the Spec-RAM LC for instant Pb-212 RCP analysis
13/11/2025
A proven solution for 212Pb radiopharmaceuticals
LabLogic’s new gamma spectrometer for radio-HPLC analyses of 212Pb - the Spec-RAM LC - has already been adopted by several users for radiochemical purity (RCP) measurements. One of these early adopters is Orano Med, a biotechnology company specialising in the development of new therapies using 212Pb.
At this year’s EANM in Barcelona, we sat down with Chief Scientific Officer Julian Torgue to discuss Orano Med’s partnership with LabLogic. Julian discussed how this new solution for Targeted Alpha Therapies is allowing Orano Med’s Drug Development and Preclinical Unit (DDPU) in Plano, Texas to deliver instant results with greater precision, without having to collect fractions or use a gamma counter.
Why an instant QC solution for 212Pb is important
Outlining the therapeutic potential of 212Pb, Julian said, “Lead is actually not an alpha emitter. The daughter 212Bi is as well as 212Po. And with the purification process that we have, we obtain pure lead, and it takes some time for the daughters to grow in, but we don’t want to wait to manufacture and ship it out, so we need special equipment to quality control it, to quantify it but also for ITLC and HPLC, and this is where LabLogic is coming in to help.”
Why fraction collection isn’t an ideal solution
Julian explained how Orano Med currently measures RCP of 212Pb, and why it hasn’t been an ideal solution, saying, “Currently what we’ve been doing is fraction collection and then counting on an automatic gamma counter with a multichannel analyser to discriminate between 212Pb and the daughters for two different reasons. The bismuth complex has a different retention time of the peptide than the lead complex, and because of the Compton scattering it is interferent in the 212Pb window because the multichannel analyser is not capable of taking into account the continuum. So, even though there is no peak, the noise is such that the report that it spits out doesn’t really show the level of purity just because of the noise from the daughter.
“Not only is [fraction collection] more time consuming than doing in-line quantification but also having to wait for the daughters to decay in order to quantify properly in an automatic gamma counter is time-consuming as well.”
How the Spec-RAM LC works
The Spec-RAM LC allows immediate and precise measurements by isolating the daughters’ signal from the parent isotope. It uses high-resolution gamma spectrometry to instantly analyse the isotopic composition of HPLC eluants. Laura Radiopharma software then uses time-resolved gamma spectrometry and innovative peak-finding tools to fully automate the measurement of radiochemical purity (RCP).
This new development eliminates waiting decay of daughters, fraction collection, and manual data handling to deliver fast, accurate RCP measurements.
Replacing manual data entry with automatic peak-finding software
Commenting on how Orano Med previously processed data before adopting Laura Radiopharma, Julian said, “In order not to have to retype everything coming out from the CSV [files] that the automatic gamma counter generates, we had to create a custom macro in Excel to process the data and generate the reports. While it works, it’s not ideal.”
“By doing it in-line and taking into account the continuum, with your software you're able to really see where the peak starts over the background. So, you're only integrating this and therefore in the bismuth – even though it generates some Compton scattering – it doesn't get qualified because there's no peak, so it only looks for peaks, and it doesn't just look for an increase in the noise. So, we do get the quantification and the spectrum that we're expecting from individual fractions, because even though it's not fraction collected, it's still fractions of count times that allows to have the spectra that you would expect from an HPLC that matches the UV.”
“I’m very impressed with what you've been able to establish in such a short amount of time.”
Julian said, “Working with [LabLogic Application Specialist] Dave [Johnson] has been great. The entire team has really been great to work with, and I’m very impressed with what you've been able to establish in such a short amount of time.”
Find out more
You can find out more about the Spec-RAM LC and how it’s already being used in radiopharmaceutical QC by watching our interview with Julian or by clicking the button below to speak to a product specialist directly.