Proton therapy developer Ion Beam Applications (IBA) and Belgian nuclear research center SCK CEN have partnered to enable the production of the medical radioisotope actinium-225 (Ac-225).
Together, the companies will evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of producing large quantities of Ac-225. Based on the results of the first phase, they plan to construct a production unit at SCK CEN in Mol, Belgium.
Their partnership aligns with the implementation of the Belgian coalition agreement, which pledges better cancer treatments, and the European recovery plan for Belgium, which designated Ac-225 and lutetium-177 (Lu-177) as promising isotopes for cancer treatment.