[News-releases] Western University Joins TRIUMF Consortium

[Melissa Baluk]

News Release | For Immediate Release | Tuesday, December 16, 2014 

Western University Joins TRIUMF Consortium

(Vancouver, BC) –– At their recent meeting, the TRIUMF Board of Management approved the admittance of Western University as an associate member of the consortium of universities that owns and operates Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. Western joins TRIUMF as the 19th Canadian member university, reinforcing existing networks in nuclear medicine and materials science.

"At the heart of TRIUMF is an engaged and committed community of university members from across Canada and we are delighted to welcome Western University as a new member,” said Dr. Steven Liss, Chair of the TRIUMF Board and Vice Principal of Research at Queen’s University. “TRIUMF's international reputation and leadership in areas of nuclear medicine, accelerator and materials science, nuclear and particle physics draws upon the scientific excellence at our universities and provides leading edge platforms for training.”

 “We are pleased to officially be a part of TRIUMF’s ambitious plans for the future,” said Dan Sinai, Associate Vice-President (Research) at Western University. “This partnership provides meaningful contributions to nuclear medicine for the betterment of Canadian health.”

Western has a strong research program in health sciences, complementing the nuclear medicine program at TRIUMF. Dr. Frank Prato, Imaging Program Leader at Western University and its affiliated hospital Lawson Health Research Institute, collaborates with TRIUMF on the Natural Resources Canada-funded Isotope Technology Acceleration Program (ITAP) project to demonstrate and commercialize non-reactor production technology for Tc-99m using hospital-based medical cyclotrons. 

“As Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, TRIUMF is a valuable resource for nuclear medicine research,” said Dr. Prato. “Under the leadership of Dr. Paul Schaffer, TRIUMF leads a Canadian team of researchers, including Lawson, in development of a technology to produce Tc-99m, a medical isotope needed by more than one million Canadians each year for the diagnosis of cancer and heart disease. We look forward to many years of collaboration to help keep Canada at the forefront of nuclear medicine."

TRIUMF’s core operations are supported via a federal contribution through the National Research Council Canada with additional funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Resources Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Western Economic Diversification. The Government of British Columbia has provided infrastructure capital funds.

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Media Contacts

Melissa M. Baluk
TRIUMF
604.222.7692
mbaluk at triumf.ca

Douglas Keddy
Western University
519.661.2111 ext. 87485
dkeddy at uwo.ca

About TRIUMF
TRIUMF is Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. Together with its partner AAPS, Inc., TRIUMF also seeks to commercialize its technologies for the benefit of all Canadians. Located on the south campus of the University of British Columbia, TRIUMF receives operating support from the Government of Canada through a contribution agreement via National Research Council Canada; the Government of British Columbia provides capital for new buildings.  TRIUMF is owned and operated as a joint venture by a consortium of the following Canadian universities: University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, Carleton University, University of Guelph, University of Manitoba, McGill University, McMaster University, Université de Montréal, University of Northern British Columbia, Queen’s University, University of Regina, Saint Mary’s University, Simon Fraser University, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, Western University, University of Winnipeg, and York University. Visit us at www.triumf.ca and tweet us @TRIUMFLab.

About Western University 
Western delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals with a broad worldview, seeking to study, influence and lead in the international community (www.uwo.ca).









Melissa M. Baluk
Communications Coordinator
Strategic Planning and Communications, TRIUMF
604.222.7692


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