Iran Restarts Cyclotron to Boost Supply of Radiopharmaceuticals for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Iranian nuclear industry experts have recently resumed operation of a cyclotron used in nuclear medicine, which can produce radioisotopes needed for cancer diagnosis and treatment. According to plans, by the end of Iran's Seventh Development Plan, i.e., March 2029, Iran will have seven such centers to expand domestic supply capacity for medical radioisotopes. A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator that can be used to produce nuclear medicine radioisotopes and further prepare radiopharmaceuticals. These drugs can be used for the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of malignant tumors. Data shows that related products produced domestically in Iran include FDG and F-PSMA, primarily serving nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment for various cancers...

2026-08-21

University of South China team extracts high-purity medical alpha nuclide Lead-212 from rare earth slag

On August 20, it was learned from the University of South China that the team led by Professor Wei Yuezhou successfully separated and obtained high-purity alpha nuclide Lead-212 and its precursor nuclide Thorium-228 directly from rare earth slag, achieving the extraction of 158 microcuries of Lead-212/Bismuth-212 from kilogram-level rare earth slag in a single batch. The achievement recently passed the scientific and technological achievement appraisal meeting for the "Technology Development for Extracting Medical Alpha Nuclide Lead-212 and Thorium-228 from Radium Slag from Monazite Processing" organized by the China Isotope and Radiation Association. Experts unanimously agreed that the overall technology has reached internationally advanced level, with single-pass recovery rate reaching internationally leading level, which is expected to promote China's independent supply of medical alpha nuclides and ensure the security of the nuclear medical industry chain, with broad application prospects...

2026-08-21

Norroy Bioscience's 68Ga-NYM096 Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track Designations

China-based Norroy Bioscience announced on August 19 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations to its radiopharmaceutical imaging agent 68Ga-NYM096. The agent is a PET imaging tracer targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), intended for imaging clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). According to the company, 68Ga-NYM096 is being developed as a non-invasive PET imaging tool to characterize renal masses detected by CT or MRI and to help distinguish clear cell renal cell carcinoma from other non-ccRCC renal lesions. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma...

2026-08-21

Atom High-Tech and CNNC Headway Visit Tsinghua University for Business Cooperation Exchange

On August 17, Luo Xu, General Manager of Atom High-Tech, and Liu Wen, Chairman of CNNC Headway, led a delegation to Tsinghua University for a business cooperation exchange with the School of Biomedical Engineering. Hu Ye, Dean of the School of Biomedical Engineering, and Ma Kai, Associate Professor of the School, attended the exchange. The visit aimed to leverage the research and talent advantages of a top-tier university, promote deep integration of industry, academia, and research, and jointly explore new cooperation opportunities in the fields of nuclear medicine and biomedical engineering. During the exchange meeting, Atom High-Tech and CNNC Headway respectively introduced their corporate development histories, core business layouts, and future strategic plans. Subsequently, Dean Hu Ye and Associate Professor Ma Kai respectively introduced...

2026-08-21

Brazilian CancerThera Delegation Visits Uruguay's CUDIM to Advance Theranostics Cooperation in Oncology

Following the institutional partnership established between CEPID CancerThera and the Uruguayan Center for Molecular Imaging (CUDIM) in February this year, a Brazilian delegation visited Montevideo, Uruguay, from July 27 to 29 to advance the transformation of the memorandum of understanding into a concrete work plan. The visit focused on multicenter clinical trials, preclinical research, theranostics in oncology, and educational cooperation. During the visit, Brazilian researchers held working meetings with the CUDIM team, covering multiple aspects of oncology research development. CUDIM was represented by its General Director Alarico Rodriguez, as well as radiopharmacist and Technical Director of Radiopharmacy, Dr. Eduardo Osvaldo Savio Queve...

2026-08-20

Akiram Therapeutics and ITM Sign Lutetium-177 Supply Agreement to Support Radiopharmaceutical Development for Solid Tumors

Akiram Therapeutics, a Swedish clinical-stage biotechnology company, and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, a German radiopharmaceutical biotechnology company, recently announced the signing of a supply agreement. Under the agreement, ITM will supply no-carrier-added lutetium-177 (nca Lu-177) to Akiram to support the clinical development of its targeted antibody-radionuclide conjugate, 177Lu-AKIR001 (AKIR001). AKIR001 is Akiram's lead radiopharmaceutical candidate, currently being investigated in clinical studies for the treatment of CD44v6-expressing solid tumors. The candidate combines the therapeutic radioisotope nca Lu-177 with a proprietary antibody targeting CD44v6. CD...

2026-08-20

Full-Life Technologies Completes Construction of Belgian Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility and Initiates Accelerator Commissioning

Full-Life Technologies (hereinafter referred to as "Full-Life"), a privately held, fully integrated, clinical-stage international radiopharmaceutical therapy company, announced on August 20 that its radiopharmaceutical production facility in Gembloux, Belgium, has completed construction and received authorization to commence accelerator commissioning and enter the initial ramp-up phase. (Full-Life Technologies Belgium Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility) This milestone marks a significant step forward in Full-Life's vertically integrated radioisotope production capabilities moving toward formal operational status. With the completion of facility construction, the company has entered the next phase of operational preparation, including accelerator installation, phased commissioning, and validation of critical safety and operational systems.

2026-08-20

Second Radiotherapy Linear Accelerator Commissioned at Buchholz Hospital in Germany

The second medical linear accelerator for cancer radiotherapy at Buchholz Hospital in the North Heath region of Germany has been commissioned. The device was activated by the hospital's radiotherapy department under the direction of Chief Physician Dr. Günter Bohlen, marking a further enhancement of local oncological radiotherapy capabilities. The management of Buchholz Hospital and Winsen Hospital, Dr. Franziska von Brunnig (third from right) and Dr. Martin Meyer (first from right), together with Chief Physician Dr. Günter Bohlen (second from right) and the radiotherapy team, posed for a photo at the official commissioning ceremony of the second linear accelerator at Buchholz Hospital. Photo: Buchholz-Winsen Hospital. According to available information, Buchholz Hospital...

2026-08-20

Yonsei Cancer Hospital in South Korea Expands Heavy Ion Radiotherapy Indications, Three Systems Operating Simultaneously

Yonsei Cancer Hospital in South Korea recently announced that it has further expanded the indications for heavy ion radiotherapy to include head and neck cancer, sarcoma, and recurrent rectal cancer. Since becoming the first hospital in South Korea to perform heavy ion radiotherapy for prostate cancer in 2023, the hospital has gradually expanded its treatment scope to cover pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, and other cancer types. Medical staff, including Proton Therapy Center Director Kim Woong-sub (left), are preparing for proton therapy. (Photo provided by Yonsei University Medical Center) Meanwhile, the hospital's second rotating heavy ion radiotherapy system has been fully commissioned. This brings the hospital to a configuration of one fixed-beam system and two rotating systems operating simultaneously. The hospital...

2026-08-20

Canada Approves Bruce Power Hot Cell Facility Operations, Strengthening Lutetium-177 Medical Isotope Supply Chain

Bruce Power has recently received approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to operate its on-site hot cell facility for target carrier removal (TCR) work, a critical step in the production process of the medical isotope lutetium-177 (Lu-177). Lu-177 is used in the treatment of prostate cancer and is increasingly applied in targeted therapies for precision medicine. Under the approval, Bruce Power can perform the relevant processing steps on site, further streamlining the isotope production process, reducing transportation requirements, while helping to enhance operational safety, lower emissions, and strengthen Ontario's capabilities in the global medical isotope supply chain. The hot cell facility was completed earlier this year...

2026-08-20

Russian enterprise develops borated polyethylene material for neutron radiation protection

A neutron radiation protection material developed by Russian company NPO Gelar has obtained relevant certification. The material, named Polikeramoplast-PB, is a borated polyethylene that resembles ordinary gray or black plastic sheets in appearance, but its protective performance derives from the combination of hydrogen and boron. According to reports, the hydrogen in the material effectively moderates fast neutrons, reducing the likelihood of subsequent secondary reactions, while the boron helps absorb moderated neutrons. In contrast, traditional heavy metal materials used for gamma-ray shielding are not suitable for standalone neutron protection, as heavy atomic nuclei have limited attenuation effects on neutrons. The material can be used in radiation therapy room protection systems and combined with lead...

2026-08-19

Norway's Thor Medical AlphaOne High-Purity Alpha Radioisotope Facility to Be Officially Inaugurated

Thor Medical ASA announced on August 19 that its AlphaOne production facility at the Herøya industrial park in Norway will be officially inaugurated on September 9, 2026, with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre attending the ceremony. According to reports, AlphaOne is Thor Medical's first industrial-scale production facility for high-purity α radioisotopes and the first of its kind globally. The facility is already in operation, primarily producing isotope products for next-generation targeted cancer therapies, supplying high-purity α emitters to the radiopharmaceutical industry. Thor Medical CEO Jasper Kurth stated that AlphaOn...

2026-08-19

IAEA imPACT Assessment Recommends Namibia Expand Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Services

August 18, 2026, the results of the International Atomic Energy Agency's imPACT review show that Namibia has demonstrated a clear commitment to strengthening cancer treatment, while still needing to further expand service coverage, build the oncology workforce, and improve access to cancer diagnosis and treatment nationwide. Cancer is becoming an increasingly prominent public health challenge in Namibia. Data shows that the country records more than 4,200 new cancer cases annually. According to Globocan 2024 projections, this figure is expected to rise to 7,200 by 2040. Breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, and Kaposi sarcoma currently account for nearly half of all confirmed cancer cases in Namibia...

2026-08-19

Vivos Ships First Batches from U.S. IsoPet Production Facility, Receives AERB Approval to Build International Manufacturing Center in India

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Vivos Inc. recently announced two operational milestones: its in-house production facility in Richland, Washington, has begun delivering IsoPet® products to certified veterinary clinics in the United States; simultaneously, the company has received authorization from India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to establish an international manufacturing center in India. This means Vivos will have a two-site production footprint spanning the U.S. and India. According to the company, the U.S. production facility, housed at the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory (APEL), will manufacture IsoPet® veterinary oncology products and RadioGel® human oncology products, and will serve as the center for subsequent process improvements and regulatory...

2026-08-19

Dongcheng Pharmaceutical Adds New Radiopharmaceutical Production Center in Jinzhong, Shanxi

Recently, Shanxi Andike, a subsidiary of Dongcheng Andike, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dongcheng Pharmaceutical, received the "Radiopharmaceutical Production License" issued by the Shanxi Provincial Drug Administration. This marks that the Jinzhong Radiopharmaceutical Production Center in Shanxi has met the requirements for commissioning, adding a new facility to Dongcheng Pharmaceutical's radiopharmaceutical production network. As one of China's leading nuclear medicine companies, the group adheres to a layout strategy of "networked short half-life and base-based long half-life" production, and has established a domestically leading radiopharmaceutical production and distribution network. To date, the group has put 33 radiopharmaceutical production centers into operation. As a heparin expert and radiopharmaceutical pioneer, Dongcheng Pharmaceutical will continue to deepen its presence in the nuclear medicine field, striving to build a comprehensive Dongcheng nuclear medicine ecosystem...

2026-08-18

Kazakhstan's Institute of Nuclear Physics Plans to Expand Medical Radioisotope Production and Export

The Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) of Kazakhstan is progressively expanding the applications of radioisotopes and radiation technologies, with related products already used in cancer diagnosis and treatment, industrial production, and scientific research. Institute Director Sayabek Sakhiyev stated that radioisotope and radiopharmaceutical production is one of the institute's key applied activities, covering the full chain from scientific research and research reactor operation to radiochemical technology development and medical applications. Currently, INP produces three main categories of radiopharmaceuticals: sodium iodide I-131 for thyroid disease treatment, Mo-99/Tc-99m related products for radionuclide diagnostics, and...

2026-08-18

Decoding the Clinical-Radiological Paradox: Brain Network Mechanisms in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 Revealed

On August 17, the team of Professor Liu Chen and Professor Wang Jian from the Department of Radiology at Southwest Hospital of Army Medical University, in collaboration with Professor Long Zhiliang's team from the Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University, systematically revealed for the first time the micro-level molecular pathological mechanisms underlying macroscopic brain network decoupling in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) by integrating multimodal magnetic resonance imaging technology with high-resolution micro-biological atlases. This provides a novel perspective and objective imaging targets for resolving the clinical-radiological dissociation challenge in clinical diagnosis and treatment. The findings were published in the internationally leading journal in the field of movement disorders under the title "Putaminal Structure-Function Decoupling as an Early Candidate Imaging Biomarker for Motor Severity in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3."

2026-08-18

FDG PET/CT Enables More Precise Identification of Multiorgan Involvement in Brazilian Paracoccidioidomycosis

A study conducted by researchers at the Brazilian CEPID CancerThera center shows that molecular imaging with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT can detect systemic lesions of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) more sensitively than conventional staging methods, helping to reassess the extent and severity of the disease. The findings were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal disease caused by inhalation of fungal spores of the Paracoccidioides genus, with significant clinical and epidemiological importance in Brazil. Often referred to as "coffee planter's disease," it primarily affects the lungs but can also spread to multiple organs via lymphatic and hematogenous routes. Conventional staging typically relies on...

2026-08-17

Korean Hospital Team Develops AI Model to Improve Bone Metastasis Detection Using PET/CT and Other Information

A research team at Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center has recently developed an artificial intelligence model capable of identifying bone metastases that are difficult to detect on CT images. By incorporating MRI and PET/CT information during the training process, the model enables lesions that are inconspicuous on CT and prone to being missed to be included in the training data, thereby enhancing detection capability. Bone metastasis is an important basis for determining cancer staging and formulating treatment plans. If lesions are not clearly visible on CT images, bone metastasis may be detected late and may lead to complications such as pathological fractures and spinal cord compression. Previous related AI studies have largely relied on lesions clearly visible on CT to build training data, and the research team believes that this approach may...

2026-08-17

NRC to Hold Online Public Meeting on Proposed Medical Use Licensing Rule

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently announced it will hold an online public meeting from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on August 20 to introduce the proposed rule aimed at reducing barriers to medical use licensing. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on July 27. During the meeting, NRC staff will outline the key provisions of the rule and related implementation activities, and answer questions from the public. The meeting is open to the public and will focus on regulatory processes related to medical use licensing, with the goal of explaining and discussing the proposed rule and subsequent implementation arrangements...

2026-08-16

FDA Approves Tauklarify, a Tau PET Imaging Agent for Alzheimer's Disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Tauklarify, a new brain imaging agent for the evaluation of Alzheimer's disease. The drug, also known as MK-6240, is a radioactive diagnostic agent for positron emission tomography (PET) in adults, primarily indicated for adults with cognitive impairment who require physician assessment of abnormal tau protein accumulation in the brain. The twisted, insoluble fibrous deposits formed by tau protein are believed to be associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The developer, Lantheus, stated that the safety of Tauklarify was evaluated in two clinical trials involving more than 1,700 subjects. Adverse reactions...

2026-08-16