Bruce Power’s hot cell approved for medical isotope production

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has given Bruce Power approval to operate the company's hot cell facility in Tiverton, Ontario, for medical radioisotope processing. This approval allows the facility to conduct Target Carrier Removal (TCR), a key step in the production of lutetium-177, an isotope used to treat prostate and gastric cancers.

Lu-177 can also be used to deliver precision medicine therapies. Precision medicine is an emerging field in which an individual's genetic makeup, environment, and lifestyle are used to better predict which targeted treatments would be most effective.

The TCR hot cell work at Tiverton is part of Bruce Power's overall expansion of isotope production, which it has been performing since the mid-1980s. The isotopes produced by the company-including Lu-177 and cobalt-60-are used in medical sterilization, diagnostics, and treatments.

The ability to perform TCR at Bruce Power's central location is expected to help the company streamline its isotope production, reduce transportation costs, enhance worker safety, and reduce emissions.

From construction to operation: Construction of the hot cell was completed in July through a collaboration between Bruce Power, Kinectrics, and Bird Construction. The huge structure is made with more than 90,000 kilograms of concrete, a 7,000-kilogram door, and a large lead-glass window.

Bruce Power plans to begin commercial TCR operations with the hot cell in September. The resulting Lu-177 will be transported to off-site facilities for further radiopharmaceutical processing.

Bruce Power's chief operating officer and executive vice president James Scongack noted that CNSC's approval of the hot cell "represents another transformational step in Bruce Power's journey to improve lives through the production of cancer-fighting medical isotopes." He continued, "This achievement reflects years of innovation, collaboration, and dedication from our employees, partners, and regulators, and reinforces Canada's position as a global leader in isotope production."

Lisa Thompson, Ontario's minister of rural affairs, said that this "achievement demonstrates how rural Ontario continues to lead in some of the world's most advanced nuclear technologies. The approval for operation of Bruce Power's hot cell is not only an investment in our region's economic future but also a testament to the skilled workforce, strong communities, and spirit of innovation that define Bruce, Grey, and Huron counties."