Production of Mass-Separated Erbium-169 Towards the First Preclinical in vitro Investigations

The β−-particle-emitting erbium-169 is a potential radionuclide toward therapy of metastasized cancer diseases. It can be produced in nuclear research reactors, irradiating isotopically-enriched 168Er2O3. This path, however, is not suitable for receptor-targeted radionuclide therapy, where high specific molar activities are required. In this study, an electromagnetic isotope separation technique was applied after neutron irradiation to boost the specific activity by separating 169Er from 168Er targets. The separation efficiency increased up to 0.5% using resonant laser ionization. A subsequent chemical purification process was developed as well as activity standardization of the radionuclidically pure 169Er. The quality of the 169Er product permitted radiolabeling and pre-clinical studies. A preliminary in vitro experiment was accomplished, using a 169Er-PSMA-617, to show the potential of 169Er to reduce tumor cell viability.

THE CONCEPT OF STANDARDIZATION OF FORENSIC AND EXPERT ACTIVITIES

The article distinguishes three concepts: «standardization», «accreditation» and «certification». All three aspects are tools for ensuring control over the quality, reliability and scientific authenticity of expert studies. Standards of forensic activities are fixed in the methods of conducting expert research; it has been considered the possibility of unifying the methodological support of expert research and related activities. Foremost, the standards of forensic activities are fixed in the methods of conducting expert research, which are, relatively, programs for solving expert problems and a list of sequential operations. It is the methodological aspect of the quality of forensic examinations that is the focus of this article. Standardization of individual areas of expert research is often considered as the next step after accreditation of forensic institutions to implement international standards in expert justice. Most expert institutions both in Ukraine and internationally are accredited. However, the accreditation procedure is reduced to the issues of documentation and management and to a large extent leaves aside the scientific and methodological aspects of the implementation of expert activities. Standardization of forensic activity should be understood as an activity to achieve optimal orderliness of forensic expert activity by unifying the methodological support of expert research and related activities. It is important to understand that standardization is a continuous process, and involves the development of new standard techniques with the advent of new types of examinations. Key words: forensic expert activity, standardization, unification, accreditation, attestation, judicial practice, methodology.

International Trends in the Field of Forensic Science Standardization, Forensic Science Standardization in Europe, Experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The subject of this work is to present forensic science standardization trends in the world and in Europe with special review of the application of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard, which is a condition for forensic laboratory accreditation. Through the analysis of needs and constant efforts to make the forensic area simpler for cooperation and more practical for use, as well as to improve the quality of forensic analysis results and their acceptance beyond the borders of a country, the author will try to point out the significance of implementing this international standard, in terms of economics and cost-effectiveness, as well as overall rationality. Accepting and exchanging the best professional and scientific experiences, professional help and cooperation in the form of international exchange of forensic data bases, and unreserved acceptance of valid forensic laboratory results ensure the quality the forensic science and profession are striving for, as shown in the EU document titled “Creating a common European space for the forensic sciences 2020”. We believe that forensic activity standardization in Bosnia and Herzegovina will help in fighting terrorism and organized crime more effectively. In other words, the process of forensic analysis will be more valid and practical, forensic laboratories more competent, and court proceedings more effective through norming the forensic handling of evidence. Thus an important obligation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its way to European integration will be fulfilled, because once a forensic laboratory receives an affirmation for its results, it becomes a benchmark for forensic analyses and crime detection.