Despite advancements in prevention and treatment, cancer persists as a global leading cause of death, urging the search for more effective solutions. In this context, the use of radiopharmaceuticals is a potent and evolving strategy for cancer management. These drugs deliver a radioactive atom to a disease-associated target, unleashing an explosion of energy through the emission of Auger, α or β- particles, hindering the growth and enabling elimination of cancer cells. Additionally, radiopharmaceuticals permit non-invasive detection of cancer sites via single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET), exploiting radionuclides’ either gamma (γ) or positron emitters. One vital aspect of radiopharmaceutical development is, therefore, the development of the diagnostic or therapeutic radionuclide with characteristics suitable for its medical purpose.

Radiometals stand at the forefront of modern nuclear medicine, presenting a groundbreaking frontier in the field. Their pivotal role lies in the potential to combine the same targeting agent with chemically matched isotopes from various elements with different diagnostic or therapeutic properties (such as lutetium-177 and gallium-68) or different isotopes of the same element (like copper-64 and copper-67, or terbium-149 and terbium-155) for personalized treatment approaches. This tactic empowers clinicians to tailor treatments precisely based on diagnostic information, enabling targeted and responsive therapies that adapt to individual patient responses. This theranostic paradigm holds immense promise, offering the prospect of enhancing treatment efficacy while concurrently minimizing side effects. Despite the optimistic outlook, this research still requires extensive efforts in radionuclide production, as well as preclinical and clinical assessments of radiopharmaceuticals utilizing radiometals, with the ultimate aim of achieving a tangible impact on patients' lives at the earliest opportunity.

The intricate nature of developing effective radiometal-based radiopharmaceuticals demands collaboration among experts in various domains such as chemistry, radiochemistry, biology, pharmacology, nuclear medicine, physics, engineering, and material sciences. Our Research Topic aims to present a comprehensive overview of the current advancements in the field of radiometals. We welcome potential authors to submit original research, reviews, and communications covering diverse themes, such as:

• Innovative production of radiometals for nuclear medicine
• Cross-section studies of innovative and interesting radiometals for medicine
• Application of emerging radiometals
• Radiochemical separation of radiometals
• Automation in radiopharmaceutical synthesis and GMP production
• Development of chelators for radiometals
• Theranostics and multimodality imaging
• Advancements in dosimetry
• Novel radiopharmaceuticals for cancer imaging and therapy based on radiometals
• Preclinical and clinical studies with radiometals-based radiopharmaceuticals.

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Frontiers in Nuclear Medicine

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