Potentials and Challenges of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Transport for the Time-Critical Delivery of Positron Emission Tomography Radiopharmaceuticals in Nuclear Medicine.

Abstract

Aim: Positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals have short physical half-lives, making transport time a key determinant of their clinical availability. This study evaluated the potential of unmanned aerial vehicle-based transport to improve radiopharmaceutical distribution compared with conventional road transport.

Methods: Ground- and unmanned aerial vehicle-based transport scenarios were compared within standardized regulatory and radiopharmacy frameworks. Representative distribution routes were analysed, and radioactive decay was modelled using exponential decay kinetics. Activity preservation was evaluated for ¹⁸F, ⁶⁸Ga, and ¹¹C using representative distribution scenarios for ¹⁸F-FDG and ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA.

Results: The modelling analysis predicted shorter and more predictable delivery times for unmanned aerial vehicle-based transport than for conventional road transport. The reduced transport duration increased the residual activity available at the time of administration, with the greatest benefit predicted for short-lived radionuclides. In a representative scenario, reducing the transport time from approximately 110 to 70 minutes was associated with increased residual ¹⁸F activity from approximately 50 to 64%. A corresponding increase from approximately 33 to 49% was predicted for ⁶⁸Ga, whereas ¹¹C exhibited the greatest sensitivity to transport time.

Conclusion: Unmanned aerial vehicle-based transport could improve positron emission tomography radiopharmaceutical distribution by reducing decay losses, increasing operational flexibility, and enabling higher patient throughput per production batch. Clinical implementation remains limited by regulatory, technical, and environmental challenges. Experimental validation and real-world studies are needed to confirm feasibility.