Safe use and reliable supply of medical radionuclides

Therapeutic nuclear medicine is developing rapidly in oncology. Theranostics – the combination of diagnostics and therapy – is an emerging application of medical isotopes that exploits different properties of radioisotopes. Targeted radionuclide therapy, including alpha and beta therapy, is a promising approach for the treatment of cancer. Several alpha- and beta-emitting isotopes have demonstrated effectiveness in preclinical studies and clinical trials. Theranostic compounds are likely to make a difference to cancer patients in the near future not only through improvements in their quality of life but also in terms of survival rate. Appropriate availability of alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclides must be ensured to treat patients and enable investigation of feasibility of targeted radionuclide therapies.

The proposed research action should cover development of reactor-based and alternative, including accelerator-based, production of therapeutic and diagnostic radion