Copper-64 specific activity (the number of decays per second per amount of substance) and low yield through the Cu(n,γ)Cu reaction. At the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR) Cu was produced using high-energy neutrons via the Zn(n,p)Cu reaction in high specific activity but low yield. Using a biomedical cyclotron the Ni(p,n)Cu nuclear reaction can produce large quantities of the nuclide with high specific activity. Wilson’s disease is a rare condition in which copper is retained excessively in the body. Toxic levels of copper can lead to organ failure and premature death. Cu is used to study whole body retention of
Free radical damage to DNA Free radical damage to DNA Free radical damage to DNA can occur as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation or to radiomimetic compounds. Damage to DNA as a result of free radical attack is called indirect DNA damage because the radicals formed can diffuse throughout the body and affect other organs. Malignant melanoma can be caused by indirect DNA damage because it is found in parts of the body not exposed to sunlight. DNA is vulnerable to radical attack because of the very labile hydrogens that can be abstracted and the prevalence of double bonds in the DNA bases