Ontario invests $18M to boost medical isotope production at Hamilton’s McMaster University

The Ontario government is investing $18 million to increase production of life-saving medical isotopes at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor in Hamilton.

The investment will expand operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week and help to create 16 new jobs, along with producing custom medical isotopes for up to 84,000 treatments annually.

Each year, medical isotopes from McMaster provide treatment for approximately 70,000 cancer patients around the world.

“We all know someone who has been impacted by cancer, and that timely, cutting-edge treatment is critical to their recovery,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security.

“This investment will ensure that the McMaster Nuclear Reactor can operate at maximum capacity, producing more medical isotopes and bringing more life-saving cancer treatments to market, to our hospitals and to our loved ones.”

With more than 247,000 Canadians diagnosed with cancer each year, and two of every five Canadians developing cancer during their lifetime, the demand for precision radiopharmaceuticals is increasing, and so is the need for large-scale production of key isotopes.

To meet the demand, the government recently announced the Nuclear Isotope Innovation Council of Ontario, a new expert advisory panel that will help leverage Ontario’s nuclear fleet to double the number of medical isotopes produced in the province over the next four years.

“This increased capacity will enhance our ability to serve cancer patients worldwide through the increased production of critical medical isotopes used in the treatment of prostate cancer,” said Susan Tighe, President and Vice Chancellor, McMaster University.

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