Most of the work being done by our group is performed under the auspices of the DOE Isotope Program, managed by the Office of Science. Bringing together these different disciplines allows for the development of next-generation, personalized approaches to medical imaging and cancer therapy. Isotope production sits at the intersection of a number of different multidisciplinary fields: chemistry, biochemical engineering, experimental nuclear physics, and nuclear medicine.
Consequently, through the research necessary to address such deficiencies, it is possible to expand this list of options to include novel and emerging isotopes, as well as develop alternative pathways for production of established isotopes.
However, the production of radioisotopes for research, industry, and commercial purposes is in short supply. These accelerators also produce non-medical radionuclides with commercial value, such as 22Na, 73As, 95mTc, and 109Cd. Most of the radionuclides currently used for these procedures are produced by low- and intermediate-energy accelerators, e.g., 11C, 18F, 68Ga, 82Rb, and 123I. Every year, approximately 17 million nuclear medicine procedures (both diagnostic and therapeutic) are performed in the U.S.