Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Exports Medical Radioisotope to China for the First Time

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on October 23 that it has exported the medical radioisotope 'Zirconium-89 (Zr-89),' produced using its own technology, to C-Ray Therapeutics in China.

Zr-89 is a radioisotope that enables real-time imaging to track the location of drugs, and it was developed with domestic technology in 2018.

The research team at the Cyclotron Application Laboratory has succeeded in exporting "Zirconium-89" to China. (From left) Youngbae Gong, Senior Researcher; Jinsik Joo, Senior Researcher; Junyoung Lee, Senior Researcher; Byungchan Lee, Senior Researcher; Junghoon Park, Director; Donghyun Kwak, Senior Researcher; Mingu Heo, Senior Researcher; Jongcheol Lee, Senior Researcher. Provided by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

After its development, Zr-89 was recognized as a valuable substance for developing tumor-specific antibody protein drugs that exclusively target and bind to cancer cells. It has been supplied to domestic hospitals, research institutes, universities, and bio companies.

Zr-89 is mainly used in PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanners at large hospitals and has been utilized in medical and bio research for tumor diagnosis and treatment monitoring, immunotherapy validation, and nanobio material evaluation.

Zr-89 has previously been exported to countries such as South Africa, Pakistan, and Thailand, but this is the first time it has been exported to China.

The Zr-89 exported to China was produced by bombarding Yttrium-89 with protons using the 'RFT-30 Cyclotron' at the Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. After separation and purification, it is supplied in the form of a 0.3 ml injectable solution. A cyclotron is a particle accelerator that produces medical radioisotopes by accelerating protons.

C-Ray Therapeutics, which will receive the supply of Zr-89, is a specialized company capable of handling the entire process from radiopharmaceutical process development to preclinical evaluation, clinical trials, and production. The establishment of a logistics network in China is expected to facilitate market expansion.

Jung Byungyeob, Director of the Advanced Radiation Research Institute, stated, "As global demand for Zr-89 increases, the export potential of the radioisotope production system developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is also growing. We hope that the export of Zr-89 to China will serve as an opportunity for the institute to establish itself as a hub for radioisotope technology."

Meanwhile, the Cyclotron Application Laboratory at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is currently working to advance its production system for the stable supply of Zr-89 both domestically and internationally through the Nuclear Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.