[News-releases] TRIUMF Team to Play Role in Developing Isotopes with Accelerators

Tim Meyer tmeyer at triumf.ca
Fri Oct 15 10:45:18 PDT 2010


News Release | For Immediate Release | Friday, October 15, 2010

TRIUMF TEAM TO PLAY ROLE IN DEVELOPING ISOTOPES WITH ACCELERATORS

(Vancouver, BC) - The Government of Canada today announced the next steps in
developing non-reactor-based technologies for meeting national needs for
critical medical isotopes.  A team led by TRIUMF that included Advanced
Applied Physics Solutions, BC Cancer Agency, Centre for Probe Development
and Commercialization (CPDC), Lawson Health Research Institute, and the
University of British Columbia prepared a cyclotron-technology proposal.
The project has been selected by Natural Resources Canada to receive a
substantial award of federal funding to advance the technology. 

The team is led by Dr. Thomas J. Ruth, senior research scientist at TRIUMF
and the BC Cancer Agency.  The team proposed to study, develop, and prepare
for commercialization a technology suited for producing Tc-99m isotopes
using existing medical cyclotrons in select regions of Canada; To achieve
this, a broad-based collaboration amongst diverse experts is required in
order to generate the scientific, clinical and economic data needed to
assess the feasibility and cost of a cyclotron-based program to secure the
long term of supply of Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals.

Nigel S. Lockyer, director of TRIUMF, said, "It is part of our
responsibility as a laboratory, as scientists, and as citizens, to address
matters of national importance where possible.  I salute Tom Ruth and his
colleagues for stepping forward.  The Government of Canada is making a bold
statement about innovation, ingenuity, and Canadian leadership with this
program.  I look forward to working with all our partners in making these
efforts a success."

John Valliant, scientific director and CEO of CPDC, said, "This could be the
start of the long-sought network for nuclear-medicine imaging in Canada."  

Specific details concerning the proposed program of work will be subject to
negotiations and planning in consultation with the project partners and
Natural Resources Canada's NISP-PPIN program.  It is expected that these
discussions will complete in December. 

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********************************************************
Timothy I. Meyer, Ph.D.
Head, Strategic Planning & Communications
TRIUMF
4004 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 2A3  CANADA
Tel: 604-222-7674
Fax: 604-222-3791
Cell: 650-464-8955
E-mail: tmeyer at triumf.ca
WWW: http://www.triumf.ca
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