Producing radioisotopes for medical imaging, disease treatment

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Accelerators built to explore the building blocks of matter help to feed the nation's need for certain critical radioisotopes used to diagnose, track, and treat disease.

Medical applications of isotopes produced at BLIP Top: BLIP produces Strontium-82, a relatively stable isotope that can be transported and used in hospitals to generate Rubidium-82, a radiotracer that reveals reduced blood flow in heart muscle under stress. This precision scanning points physicians to coronary arteries that need treatment.
 

Bottom: Before and after images show how a molecule labeled with Actinium-225 delivers cell-killing alpha particles directly to tumors, eradicating metastatic prostate cancer. The BLIP team aims to increase the production of Ac225 so scientists can conduct large-scale trials and get this potentially lifesaving treatment to more patients.

Credit: Washington University School of Medicine, ©SNMMI: C. Kratochwil. J. Nucl. Med., 2016; 57 (12); 1941

To read more please visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170321124237.htm

Source: Science Daily