Australian patients will benefit from a new collaboration announced between the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and US Radiopharmaceuticals (USR).
Under the arrangement, USR will supply ANSTO with vital diagnostic imaging isotopes for SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging as well as disease specific biomarkers.
Cyclotron produced isotopes of 123Iodine (used for detection and staging of neuroblastomas), 201Thallium (used for cardiac imaging) and 67Gallium (used to detect inflammatory lesions and the extent of some diseases such as lymphomas and Hodgkin’s Disease) are not currently manufactured in Australia.
Under this collaboration they will be produced at USR’s high-energy accelerator facility in Texas, USA which will provide a diversified supply of accelerator-based radioisotopes for Australian hospitals.
USR located in Denton, Texas is an emerging manufacturer and distributor of licensed radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals to both the domestic and international nuclear medicine and molecular imaging communities.
The company’s 85,000 Sq. ft. facility and high-energy accelerators offer to manufacture of traditional SPECT/PET radiopharmaceuticals and R&D capabilities. Under selected contracts, USR will manufacture and distribute a new generation of biomarkers that differentiate benign from malignant tumour cells, including a novel biomarker for the assessment of cancer proliferation, further enabling physicians to develop effective and personalized treatment plans.
USR’s products will significantly enrich the detection of such diseases and benefit millions of patients worldwide. The USR facility will be reopening in the first quarter of 2013 following extensive facility and equipment refurbishments, establishing the company as a reliable supplier of high quality products to the nuclear medicine market.
ANSTO is Australia's national nuclear research organization and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise. ANSTO operates nuclear science and technology based facilities, including Australia’s nuclear research reactor, OPAL.
On average, each week ANSTO delivers 10,000 patient doses of potentially lifesaving nuclear medicines to over 250 partner hospitals and medical practices across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.