Construction of new nuclear medicine production facility underway

The next critical steps in the development of Australia’s new nuclear medicine production facility are now complete, with the bulk of the excavation work finalised and more than 1900 m³ of concrete poured, as well as more than 350 tonnes of steel reinforcement in place.

The ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) project, underway at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), represents a $168.8 million investment by the Australian Government.

Through it, Australia will secure continued supplies of nuclear medicines for the domestic market, and the ability to contribute significantly to international demand.

Currently, ANSTO produces around 10,000 patient doses of nuclear medicines per week, which are distributed to more than 250 hospitals and nuclear medicine centres across Australia, as well as shipping product internationally.

The current world demand for Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), which is the decay product of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) is estimated to be approximately 40 million patient doses per annum.

Mo-99 is a radioisotope that is used in hospitals and medical centres to make Tc-99m, the most widely used radioisotope in nuclear medicine. Tc-99m is used mainly for selective imaging of organs and soft tissues such as the lungs, bone, brain, liver and kidneys - enabling an effective diagnosis. The Mo-99 is supplied to hospitals and medical centres utilising an ANSTO-designed radiopharmaceutical generator, the Gentech Generator, a shielded device which enables the radionuclide to safely undergo its radioactive decay to become Tc-99m, while in transit.

Once fully operational, Australia’s new Mo-99 manufacturing plant will enable ANSTO to significantly increase its production capabilities and to supply up to 25-30% of global demand.

The project includes:

• An export-scale nuclear medicine manufacturing plant to secure Australia’s ability to produce international-scale Mo-99, long into the future. The new plant will, under the terms of a technology transfer agreement between ANSTO and NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd (NTP), make use of NTP’s proven Mo-99 production process developed in South Africa.
• An innovative Synroc waste treatment plant. Synroc, an Australian innovation, is a cost-effective, low-risk solution for treatment of radioactive waste. Synroc will deliver a permanent, safe and economical way of treating waste from past, current and future manufacture of nuclear medicines.

“We are part way through the phased process of pouring the basement concrete on this project. The ground floor will be finalised over the coming months,” said ANM Board Chairman Doug Cubbin.

“Our project remains on schedule and budget. We are confident the planned operational date is achievable as our facility will use proven production methods already demonstrated at the scale we are building our facility for.

“We expect that once operational it will deliver a medical dividend to the world, and a financial dividend to Australia.

“Importantly, through this project, Australia will continue to produce nuclear medicine using low-enriched uranium, which is proliferation-proof - contributing significantly to regional nuclear security goals.”

For more information about the project or to view a time-lapse video of the construction, go to the ANSTO Media Centre.