TRIUMF-led team produces medical isotopes in enough quantity to serve large city

A research team led by TRIUMF has used a medical cyclotron to generate enough of the isotope technetium-99m (Tc-99) to supply a city the size of Vancouver. The breakthrough moves Canada a major step forward towards generating sufficient quantities of the isotope required for medical imaging of various diseases without the need for a nuclear reactor.

The aging reactor at Chalk River ON, operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd is slated to cease production after 2016, although an application to extend its life for another five years has been filed.

The multi-site project was supported by $7 million from Natural Resources Canada's Isotope Technology Accelerator Program (ITAP), which received $25 million over four years in the 2012 Budget to support various projects for non-nuclear isotope production. The funding follows initial NRCan support of $31 million under ITAP's predecessor program, the Isotope Supply Contribution Agreement (ISCA)? (R$, January 31/11).

The TRIUMF-led research team included researchers from the BC Cancer Agency, the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization at McMaster Univ and the Lawson Health Research Institute in London ON.

The milestone was achieved using a medical cyclotron designed and manufacturing by Vancouver-based Advanced Cyclotron Systems Inc (ACSI) which received $11 million under the ISCA program. The strategy envisions a pan-Canadian network of medium-energy cyclotrons meeting much of Canada's nuclear medicine isotope needs. The TRIUMF-led project will now pursue engineering optimization and regulatory approval.

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