It has been three years since Bruce Power joined the fight against cancer.
The nuclear power generator is celebrating its third anniversary as a commercial producer of medical isotopes which are used to treat prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours. Since launching the isotope production system (IPS), Bruce Power and its partners Isogen, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, and Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) have become a stable source of the versatile cancer-treating isotope lutetium-177 for the global health-care community. It has also expanded production lines to double its capacity.
“Bruce Power and its employees are proud of this crucial role we play in the production of medical isotopes that help patients across the globe,” said Bruce Power Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice-President James Scongack. “We’re expanding our medical isotope production through innovation and the installation of more IPS systems on other units because the world is counting on Canada for these vital tools in the fight against cancer.”
Bruce Power has successfully shipped isotopes generated from its station to ITM’s manufacturing facility in Germany for processing pharmaceutical-grade, non-carrier-added lutetium-177. They are then sent to health-care facilities around the world for use in various clinical and commercial radiopharmaceutical cancer treatments.
“Our partnership with Bruce Power demonstrates the power of innovation and collaboration in advancing radiopharmaceutical therapies,” Dr. Andrew Cavey, CEO of ITM, said in a statement. “By working closely with Bruce Power, we are scaling production to provide a reliable, high-quality supply of n.c.a. lutetium-177 to patients living with cancer around the world.”
The Ontario government, working with Bruce Power, aims to double the province's medical isotope production by 2030.
