Production of alpha-emitters for radionuclide therapy

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Drugs with radioactive atoms that emit alpha particles, so-called alpha emitters, is a promising technology for cancer treatment. Alpha particle radiation consists of helium nuclei that are emitted from the radioactive element. This type of radiation has high energy, but the range is very short. A thin sheet of paper is enough to stop an alpha particle. This opens the possibility of efficient destruction of cancer cells, without harming nearby healthy cells, if the radioactive atoms are transported to the cancerous tumors. Already, there are a few such medicines that use radioactive atoms, and several are under development. However, currently there is limited availability of suitable alpha emitters, which has slowed down the development of new, effective radioactive drugs. This project aims to develop a cost efficient and environmentally friendly production technology for the alpha emitter, Radium-224, and its related decay products Lead-212 and Bismuth-212. These radionuclides have some interesting differences in properties that make them useful for the treatment of different types of cancer. Thor Medical's unique production concept has been tested in the laboratory and looks promising both for producing clean enough products for medical purposes as well as potential industrialization. However, significant research remains in order to further develop and verify the concept to a level where we can verify it will work in practice. IFE is a key research partner in the project, and the Norwegian drug company Oncoinvent contributes as one of several customer partners. The project will thus help to further develop the Norwegian cancer research community.