Cancer-treating isotope production ramped up at Ontario nuclear plant [Video]

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has approved a production expansion of life-saving medical isotopes at Darlington nuclear plant, the single largest isotope production system in North America.

Cancer patients around the world will benefit from improved access to treatments generated by the production of two critical medical isotopes – Yttrium-90 (Y-90) and Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) – inside Darlington’s nuclear reactors by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) subsidiary Laurentis Energy Partners.

The isotopes are part of a new wave of targeted radionuclide therapies that deliver radiation directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue, offering new hope to patients with hard-to-treat cancers such as liver, neuroendocrine, and prostate. Demand for these isotopes is growing rapidly as new treatments are developed and approved in global markets.

Darlington’s unique CANDU design enables production of medical isotopes without interrupting electricity generation, ensuring a steady, reliable supply. The isotopes are produced using Laurentis’s isotope irradiation system, developed …