via www.meritnation.com
Researchers at the University of B.C. say they’ve averted a looming medical isotope shortage by proving they can produce enough of the chemical element used in life-saving cardiac and cancer scans to stop using nuclear plants.
The breakthrough research means aging nuclear power plants — plagued with leaks, high maintenance costs and problems disposing toxic waste — will likely be replaced with cyclotrons, a particle accelerator the size of an SUV, in hospitals starting as early as next year.
A team including UBC scientists has been working on finding a solution for more than five years, and TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, announced last year that it had found an alternative by using cyclotron-based production of isotopes.
Now UBC says the cyclotron has produced enough isotopes in six hours to conduct about 500 scans — beating the previous record almost fourfold. It was the amount needed to prove that this could be a practical solution for the looming national threat of a medical isotope shortage.
The aging National Research Universal Reactor near Chalk River, Ont., is set to retire in 2016. It produces the country’s main source of medical isotopes, technetium 99m (Tc99m) — a diagnostic isotope used in medical scans.
Cyclotron-based production of Tc99m would provide a solution to shift away from reactor based production of isotopes, while providing a safe and secure supply for Canadian patients, the researchers say.
Read more: Breakthrough UBC research finds cleaner, safer source of medical isotopes than nuclear power plants
The Latest on: Medical isotopes
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The Latest on: Medical isotopes
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Isotopia Molecular Imaging, an Israel-based global pharmaceutical and nuclear medicine manufacturing company, has announced plans to locate its first U.S. operations in Indiana.
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Laurentis Energy Partners and Nuclearelectrica are to collaborate on the production of medical isotopes at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant and explore the possibility of heavy water production in ...
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An Israeli pharmaceutical and nuclear medicine manufacturer will build its first U.S. operations in Westfield, where it will invest $20 million and create 50 new jobs. Isotopia USA, the newly ...
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The Medical Isotopes Market Insights of 2023 is an extensive and comprehensive report that provides a complete analysis of the market's size, shares, revenues, various segments, drivers ...
- SHINE Technologies Names Harrie Buurlage Chief Commercial Officer of Isotopeson September 10, 2023 at 11:26 pm
Veteran global leader in nuclear medicine will oversee business and go to market strategies for therapeutic and diagnostic isotopes JANESVILLE, Wis., Sept. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SHINE ...
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