[News-releases] BC Moves to the Forefront of Medical-Isotope Production Technology

[Tim Meyer]

MEDIA RELEASE
January 24, 2011 11:00am PST

BC MOVES TO THE FOREFRONT OF MEDICAL-ISOTOPE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
New federal investments in BC Cancer Agency and TRIUMF will enable
augmenting local supply of key medical isotope

Vancouver-The Government of Canada today announced a $6 million investment
to develop an alternative medical-isotope production technology proposed by
TRIUMF and the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA). The team will leverage existing
capabilities at TRIUMF and BCCA to develop and demonstrate viable production
of Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), the most widely-used medical isotope which
gained worldwide attention last year due to reliability concerns around the
nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ontario.

Thomas J. Ruth, senior research scientist at TRIUMF and the BC Cancer
Agency, is head of the proposal and said, "Together with our team, we are
pleased to have this opportunity to address the isotope question facing all
Canadians. This technology will take advantage of existing infrastructure to
develop and demonstrate the capability for manufacturing technetium at
multiple sites across the country using the most diverse collection of
commercially available cyclotrons." The team includes the Centre for Probe
Development and Commercialization and the Lawson Health Research Institute
in Ontario. 

Recently, the technetium isotope has been the subject of a world-wide
shortage with the sudden and unexpected shutdown of the two highest-capacity
nuclear reactors capable of producing Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), an isotope
whose decay to produce Tc-99m is the critical element of today's global
supply chain. 

"We are seizing a significant research opportunity thanks to our new
cyclotron facility and the great partnerships that have been forged for this
project," said Dr. Francois Benard, scientific director, Centre of
Excellence for Functional Cancer Imaging, BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the
Provincial Health Services Authority. "B.C. will be at the forefront of an
incredibly significant move to secure a long-term production plan for
medical isotopes through our research at the BC Cancer Agency and TRIUMF." 

The team will be developing a long-known alternative technology for
producing Tc-99m using particle accelerators (called cyclotrons) that
already exist at TRIUMF and BCCA. The BC Cancer Agency cyclotron facility
opened last fall, an initiative made possible through funding provided by
the B.C. Ministry of Health Services and the BC Cancer Foundation. TRIUMF's
isotope capabilities will be dramatically enhanced by an investment
announced last summer by Premier Gordon Campbell for the Advanced
Rare-Isotope Laboratory. 

"The Provincial government applauds today's significant investment
announcement from National Resources Canada to fund research into
development of an alternative medical-isotope production technology," said
Minister of Health Services Colin Hansen. "We are proud that our recent
investments into the new radiopharmaceutical facility at the BC Cancer
Agency and the isotope laboratories at TRIUMF are not only helping provide
patients with the best care possible but are also facilitating cutting edge
research that will benefit future patients."

The proposal was entitled "A Collaborative Program for the Production of
Tc-99m Using Medical Cyclotrons" and was submitted last July to the
Non-reactor-based Isotope Supply Contribution Program formulated by Natural
Resources Canada (NRCan) as part of the federal government's intention to
lay the groundwork for a more secure and sustainable supply of medical
isotopes in the future. Another team successful in the NRCan program is
being led by Advanced Cyclotron Systems, Inc., based in Richmond, B.C. 

-30-

Media Contacts: 
BC Cancer Agency
Allison Colina
Tel: 604.877.6272
Cell: 604.861.8079
E-mail: acolina at bccancer.bc.ca

TRIUMF
Tim Meyer
Tel: 604.222.7674
Cell: 650.464.8955
E-mail: tmeyer at triumf.ca

###


**************************************************************
Timothy I. Meyer, Ph.D.
Head, Strategic Planning & Communications
TRIUMF -- Accelerating Science for Canada
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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