Community Matters: A world leader in medical isotopes

Did you know that Bruce Power is a world leader in the production of cancer-fighting medical isotopes?

Not only do our reactors provide about 30 per cent of Ontario’s safe, clean, reliable power, but they also are used to irradiate medical isotopes to supply the world market a crucial tool in the battle against various forms of cancer and the sterilization of medical devices.

That’s a pretty cool by-product of nuclear generation, and the past month has seen Bruce Power mark several milestones in strengthening and expanding our capabilities to produce medical isotopes.

In late June, an international collaboration among Bruce Power, Isogen (a Kinectrics and Framatome company), and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), marked the first instance Lutetium-177, a short-lived medical isotope, has been produced in a commercial nuclear power reactor.

This milestone was achieved using a first-of-a-kind Isotope Production System (IPS) that was installed in Bruce Power’s Unit 7 during a recent planned maintenance outage. The IPS sends targets into the reactor vessel to irradiate for about a week, producing Lutetium-177, a medical isotope used in precision oncology for targeted therapy of a growing number of cancers. Lutetium-177-based treatments are designed to precisely target malignant cells while sparing surrounding healthy tissues.

Building on this first successful production, using the IPS, Bruce Power and Isogen announced they are also examining the feasibility of producing Yttrium-90, used as a targeted liver cancer therapy.

Bruce Power markets its isotope supply in an historic collaboration partnership with Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) called Gamzook’aamin Aakoziwin, which translates to Fighting Cancer Together.

These advancements build on Bruce Power’s production of Cobalt-60, which helps to sterilize 40 per cent of the world’s life-saving medical equipment, such as syringes, surgical masks, gowns and gloves, as well as in the specialized treatment of breast cancer and brain tumours.

During its Unit 5 planned outage, Bruce Power recently completed its second harvest of Cobalt-60 in the past six months, continuing a 35-year program of producing this critical life-saving medical isotope.

You can learn more about medical isotopes at our newly-redesigned Visitors’ Centre, located at 3394 Bruce County Road 20, north of Tiverton. The centre is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding statutory holidays. For more information, visit www.brucepower.com/visitus.

Bus tours are available three times per day, Monday to Friday, in August. Please pre-register using our booking site at www.brucepower.com/bustours.

If you have any questions, reach out to info@brucepower.com.