Tracer library / [11C]choline

Structure of choline (unlabelled parent compound, from PubChem) — Unlabelled parent compoundPubChem CID 305

[11C]choline

Also written as [11C]Choline; [C-11]Choline; Choline

Radionuclide: C-11 t½ 20.36 min
Modality: PET
Production route: —
Stage: Approved
Syntheses indexed: 6

Prostate cancer

What it is

Compound class: Radiolabelled choline analogue (11C in the methyl group)
Target / mechanism: Choline kinase / choline transport, reflecting increased membrane-phospholipid synthesis in tumour cells PMID 23579863
Clinical application: Prostate-cancer restaging (biochemical recurrence) PMID 23579864
Theranostic pair: —

Regulatory status

FDA: 2012, Choline C-11, Mayo Clinic PET Radiochemistry Facility (MCPRF) FDA (Drugs@FDA/openFDA): NDA203155, approved 2012-09-12
EMA (centralised): No EMA medicines register export (2026-09-09): no 'choline' PET entry
Other approvals: —
Brand names: —

Published syntheses

Module	Cassette	Purification	Yield %	RCP %	Precursor / supplier	Source
iMiDEV PMB-Alcen	vendor cassette	SPE	66 ± 2% decay-corrected	>99.0%	dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) Sigma-Aldrich	38399466 2024 Pharmaceuticals (Basel) a microfluidic cassette and an iMiDEVTM module by employing a dose-on-demand approach - the optimized precursor volume for [11C]choline was 25 µL, and the RCY was 66 ± 2%.
TRACERlab FX FE GE HealthCare	custom manifold	SPE	52 decay-corrected	>99%	N,N'-dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) Sigma-Aldrich	35347490 2022 EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem The labelling reactions were controlled with a TRACERlab Fx FE module. - 898 MBq (decay corrected 52%) of [11C]choline were isolated after 22 min
TRACERlab FX C Pro GE HealthCare	—	—	—	99.79 ± 0.14 %	—	22762159 2012 Med Chem using TRACERlab FXc module that utilized gas phase iodination
TRACERlab FX C Pro GE HealthCare	—	SPE	>60%	99.9%	—	21115355 2011 Appl Radiat Isot Modifications of a GE TracerLab FX(C-Pro), which can be implemented for solid-phase [(11)C]methylation are described. - Typical radiochemical yields (RCY) are >60%
Modular-Lab (model not stated) Eckert & Ziegler	—	—	—	—	—	20685129 2010 Appl Radiat Isot modules from Eckert & Ziegler Modular Lab System
TRACERlab FX (model not stated) GE HealthCare	—	—	—	—	—	17158055 2007 Appl Radiat Isot A modification of commercial [11C]methylation module which can be implemented for both on-column [11C]methylation and [11C]carboxylation in the same automated system is described.

Precursor

Common precursor: —
Suppliers seen in the literature: —
Cited suppliers in indexed syntheses: Sigma-Aldrich
Typical final purification: —

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Quality control Pharmacopoeial monograph

Ph. Eur. monograph: 2462 Choline ([11C]methyl) injection
USP monograph: Choline C 11 Injection title confirmed on USP's public USP-NF preview page https://doi.usp.org/USPNF/USPNF_M7838_02_01.html, read 2026-09-26; the text is subscription-only; FDA-approved 2012

AppearancepHRCP HPLCHPLC cond.Residual solvents (GC)Radionuclidic (HPGe)Half-lifeActivityEndotoxins (LAL)SterilityFilter integrity

How this set was arrived at. Cross-checked against Ph. Eur. general monograph 0125 (base set), EANM validation guideline (PMC7016057) and cGRPP guidance (PMC7881071). Draft X-marks consistent with the base set; tracer-specific analytical tests follow the specific monograph where one exists.

Tests listed by reference only. Monograph texts are copyrighted and are not reproduced here. How these are derived

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Notes

Added from reverse module search (stage 6); 6 article(s) with C-11. Stage set to 'Approved' at stage 23 -- Approval FDA field on this row (2012, Choline C-11, Mayo Clinic PET Radiochemistry Facility (MCPRF)).