In an effort to bolster its medical isotope supply, National Resources Canada is accepting requests for proposal (RFPs) to receive funding under a new four-year, $25 million program aimed at developing new supply sources.
The Isotope Technology Acceleration Program (ITAP) will support collaboration among academic, private, and public sector partners to develop nonreactor-based technologies, particularly linear accelerators and cyclotrons, to produce a more diverse and reliable supply of technetium-99m (Tc-99m) in the medium to long term, according to the government.
The goal is to secure the supply of Tc-99m for Canadians, support the Canadian government's plan to move toward a market-based supply chain in 2016, and reduce the production of radioactive waste, which is a byproduct of the current reactor-based production. Tc-99m is the most widely used isotope for medical imaging and accounts for approximately 80% of nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures.
