Government backs pioneering research to boost supply of nuclear materials vital for treating cancer
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10 projects awarded share of £4 million from Medical Radionuclide
Innovation Programme Programme aims to increase UK resilience
against potential global shortages of radionuclides – used in
700,000 hospital procedures each year Research projects include
using nuclear waste to help treat cancer patients Pioneering work
to recycle nuclear waste to help treat cancer patients is one of 10
innovative research projects awarded government funding to boost
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Pioneering work to recycle nuclear waste to help treat cancer patients is one of 10 innovative research projects awarded government funding to boost access to vital radioactive materials used in UK hospitals. The Medical Radionuclide Innovation Programme (MRIP) will back the successful projects to undertake research into technologies and techniques that could strengthen the UK’s supply and production of medical radionuclides. Around 700,000 procedures using these radioactive components are performed each year in UK hospitals, including treatment for certain types of cancer, such as prostate cancer. The MRIP aims to increase UK resilience against potential global shortages of radionuclides and build an evidence base to inform future decisions on supply. Projects set to benefit from today’s announcement include the National Nuclear Laboratory, which will research the recovery of small amounts of spent material from the nuclear power industry to produce Yttrium-90, a beta emitter used in radiation therapy. Nuclear Minister Andrew Bowie said: “Radionuclides play a vital role in diagnosing major conditions such as heart and lung disease and treating cancer, and this fund is the first step in improving our long-term security of supply. “With around 700,000 nuclear medicine procedures performed every year in the UK, innovation in the development of radionuclides is critical to ensure we can deliver for patients and NHS workers that depend on this technology. “Reusing spent nuclear waste from the power industry could be one of the answers.” The UK currently imports the majority of the radionuclides used in procedures across the NHS from research reactors overseas. These reactors play a key role in meeting global demand, however many are reaching the end of their lifetime. This programme could therefore lead to this vital resource becoming more available domestically. Radionuclides used in certain medicines and in machines like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners, which are used to diagnose cancer, heart and lung disease, infections, and musculoskeletal conditions. Among those awarded funding today is Kings College, which will lead a project in partnership with the University of Birmingham aimed at establishing the first UK production route for Iodine-124 for use in PET scans. This radionuclide has been unavailable in the UK since 2020, after production ceased in the Netherlands. The 10 innovation projects that have been selected will all be supported with grants of up to £500,000 to address various challenges with radionuclide supply and manufacturing techniques, improving the outputs of existing irradiation capability and developing radioactive material processing techniques – all of which will support our efforts for a more resilient, domestic supply of radionuclides, necessary to delivering the life-saving diagnoses and treatments that patients depend on every day. Additional information The winners are:
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