The role of coordination chemistry in the development of copper and rhenium radiopharmaceuticals

There are several isotopes of copper and rhenium that are of interest in the development of new molecular imaging or radiotherapeutic agents. This perspective article highlights the role of coordination chemistry in the design of copper and rhenium radiopharmaceuticals engineered to selectively target tissue of interest such as cancer cells or pathological features associated with Alzheimer's disease. The coordination chemistry of copper bis(thiosemicarbazone) derivatives and copper macrocyclic complexes is discussed in terms of their potential application as targeted positron emission tomography tracers for non-invasive diagnostic imaging. A range of rhenium complexes with different ligands with rhenium in different oxidation states are introduced and their potential to be translated to new radiotherapeutic agents discussed.