RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The impact of emerging bioconjugation chemistries on radiopharmaceuticals JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO J Nucl Med FD Society of Nuclear Medicine SP jnumed.118.220806 DO 10.2967/jnumed.118.220806 A1 Fay, Rachael A1 Holland, Jason P. YR 2019 UL http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/early/2019/03/21/jnumed.118.220806.abstract AB The use of radiolabeled antibodies, immunoglobulin fragments and other proteins are an increasingly important sector of research for diagnostic imaging and targeted radiotherapy in Nuclear Medicine. As with all radiopharmaceuticals, efficient radiochemistry is a prerequisite to clinical translation. For proteins, variations in the primary amino acid sequence, the secondary structures and tertiary folds, as well as differences in size, charge, polarity, lipophilicity, and the presence of post-translational modifications, add complexity to the system. The choice of radionuclide or chelate, and their impact on the thermodynamic, kinetic and metabolic stability of a radiotracer has attracted much attention but the chemistry by which the radionuclide is conjugated to the protein scaffold is of equal importance. Recently, a wealth of creative advances in protein ligation methods based on chemical, photochemical and enzyme-mediated processes have emerged. As radiochemists explore alternative bioconjugation strategies, this article considers their potential impact on radiotracer design.