Collaboration secures radioisotope supply to support US medical scans

[Marlin]

Collaboration secures radioisotope supply to support US medical scans

https://www.ornl.gov/news/collaboration-secures-radioisotope-supply-to-support-us-medical-scans/

[Core Content]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Missouri University Research Reactor established a domestic supply chain for gadolinium-153. The radioisotope is required to calibrate medical imaging equipment used in cancer and heart disease diagnostics.

The Department of Energy initiative was launched after international production halted. Researchers developed new chemical separation techniques to purify source materials at commercial scales, securing a reliable domestic pipeline for clinical nuclear medicine.

Every day, U.S. health providers and their patients rely on 3D medical scans that can diagnose heart disease, pinpoint the source of seizures and detect cancers that have spread to bones. Few realize these specialized scans use a rare but essential radioactive isotope — and its availability was recently at risk. In 2023, international production

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Read the full article at ornl.gov:
https://www.ornl.gov/news/collaboration-secures-radioisotope-supply-to-support-us-medical-scans/