Trifluoromethylation for PET applications

The continued expansion of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging hinges on the development of efficient radiolabeling strategies that can rapidly incorporate short-lived radionuclides into complex molecules. However, the installation of radiolabeled trifluoromethyl (CF₃) groups at unactivated C(sp³) centers remains a long-standing challenge, limiting access to a broad class of bioactive tracers. In this talk, I will present a general copper-mediated platform for the late-stage incorporation of either [¹⁸F]CF₃ or [¹¹C]CF₃ groups using fluoroform as a common precursor. This approach provides new opportunities for PET tracer discovery and translation.