Production calculations of 166Dy/166Ho in vivo generator through neutron irradiation in Tehran Research Reactor (TRR)

Holmium-166 is one of the most effective radionuclides used for treatment of bone marrow cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Using 166Dy/166Ho in vivo generator to deliver 166Ho to the target tissue causes the minimum exposure to the non-target tissues and increased absorbed dose rate in the target tissue compared to other similar radiopharmaceuticals. In this work, theoretical calculations of 166Dy/166Ho in vivo generator production in Tehran Research Reactor were performed through solving the decay chain differential equations simultaneously for natural and enriched dysprosium targets and the obtained results were compared with experimental values. The results showed that there is a good compatibility between the measured values and the results of the theoretical calculations. The outcomes of this study are used to produce 166Dy / 166Ho radionuclide generator.