SECURE – Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych Ośrodek Radioizotopów

SECURE - Strengthening the European Chain of sUpply for next generation medical RadionuclidEs

SECURE project aims to make a major contribution to the sustainability of medical isotope production and its safe application in Europe. It is focusing on promising developments in the design of irradiation targets, production routes for existing and new isotopes in nuclear therapy and diagnostics. Isotopes critical in the success of nuclear medicine are selected and research activities such as Cu-64, Ag-111, Tb-161, Lu-177, Re-188, Au-199, Pb-212 and Ac-225 are identified to address some of the major challenges in securing its future availability, with the objectives:

to remove critical barriers along the production of its selected alpha and beta emitting isotopes that restrict a sustainable production,
to develop a framework of guidance and recommendations that enables exploring the full clinical potential of alpha and beta particle therapy and its safe application,
to provide important lessons learned that act as a demonstration case for addressing issues in upscaling and sustained isotope production.

At present, Ra-223 is the only radiopharmaceutical which has been granted marketing authorization to treat adults with prostate cancer. This has paved the way for a wider use of other alpha emitters such as Ac-225 or Bi-213. The expected demand of nuclear medicine for novel alpha emitters and beta- emitters requires re-evaluation of their production methods and inventories of target materials and parent radionuclides.

The ambition of SECURE consortium is to identify and efficiently use the current resources for new radionuclides, in particular for alpha emitters and the relevant beta emitting theranostic radionuclides. The development of alternative technologies for production of such therapeutic radionuclides for improved patient treatment requires multidisciplinary scientific and technological knowledge including physics, chemistry, material science, machining of target materials, chemistry, biology and radiobiology, Radiopharmacy and nuclear medicine. All this chain of expertise is present in SECURE consortium.