Oak Ridge Project Boosting Isotope Supply for Cancer Treatments

Isotek began extracting and providing medical isotopes to TerraPower in 2019. From 2019 until 2021, employees processed lower radiation canisters of uranium-233 in gloveboxes. The next phase involved processing higher dose canisters in hot cells beginning in 2022.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) contractor Isotek has surpassed a significant milestone supporting clinical trials across the globe. Employees have extracted more than 15 grams of an extremely rare isotope, thorium-229, which is crucial for a promising form of cancer treatment.

While 15 grams might not sound like much, it represents a 1,500% increase in the world’s supply. Currently, only 1 gram is available worldwide outside of Oak Ridge.

“We are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone,” said Sarah Schaefer, Isotek president and project manager. “This is the result of years of hard work and great attention by the operations team.”

This accomplishment was made possible through an innovative public-private partnership among TerraPower, Isotek and OREM.

Isotek is tasked with processing and disposing of the nation’s inventory of uranium-233 stored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Through the partnership, Isotek employees extract thorium-229 for TerraPower before processing and shipping the uranium-233 material for permanent disposal.

Isotek employees load canisters of thorium-229 that will go to TerraPower to support cancer treatment research.

Originally created in the 1950s and 1960s for potential use in reactors, uranium-233 proved to be an unviable fuel source. Eliminating the inventory of uranium-233 is OREM’s highest cleanup priority at ORNL, as it is stored in the world’s oldest operating nuclear facility and very costly to keep safe and secure.

Isotek began extracting medical isotopes in 2019. At that time, crews processed lower-radiation canisters in gloveboxes. When processing operations began on the higher-dose canisters in hot cells in 2022, employees saw a boost in the amount of medical isotopes they could extract and provide to TerraPower.

“As we progress through the inventory, we’ll have opportunities to extract greater amounts of thorium,” Schaefer said. “We continue to refine our processes to keep our extraction efficiency as high as possible.”

A test tube containing milligrams of extremely rare thorium-229. Only 1 gram of the isotope exists outside of Oak Ridge. Isotek expects to provide 40 grams to support cancer treatment research.

TerraPower uses the thorium-229 it receives from the project to extract actinium-225, the key component for treatments targeting forms of cancer previously thought untreatable. These next-generation treatments help selectively target and destroy cancer cells while avoiding damage to nearby healthy cells.

TerraPower announced last year it has enough thorium-229 to produce actinium-225 at a commercial scale, providing sustained access to the global pharmaceutical community.

Global demand is expected to increase as more treatments are developed, making the work performed by OREM and Isotek even more vital.

Isotek has processed and removed approximately 40% of the remaining inventory of uranium-233 stored at ORNL. By the end of the project, Isotek expects to extract 40 grams of thorium-229, enough to create 100 times more doses of treatments annually than is currently available worldwide.

-Contributor: John Gray