The federal government has announced $ 30 million Project design a new radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Lucas Heights, NSW, which currently produces 80 percent of the country’s nuclear medicine supplies.
Lucas Heights would build a new “world-leading manufacturing facility,” said the federal government, and this would secure an important sovereign skill as well as 1,000 high-quality jobs nationally.
Image: ANSTO / OPAL reactor
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) is located 30 kilometers southwest of Sydney. It produces molybdenum-99, a precursor to technetium-99, which is used in high-quality medical imaging for the early detection of cancer and other health problems.
It currently makes between 10,000 and 12,000 doses per week, according to its website, and an Australian will use such drugs an average of twice in their lifetime.
“By funding the productive infrastructure that supports the provision of nuclear medicine services, we are also investing in the future development of the industry and in high-quality onshore jobs such as nuclear medicine researchers, developers and practitioners,” said incumbent Industry Minister Angus Taylor.
“It will also support radiopharmaceutical research and development and contribute to research translation and collaboration in the medical industry to improve healthcare in Australia.”
Treasury Secretary Simon Birmingham said there were collaboration opportunities for industries to get involved in the project.
“There is tremendous potential in this new state-of-the-art facility for partnerships that will save Australian lives, support thousands of jobs and further improve our sovereign skills in this important area of medicine,” he said.
Lucas Heights is the center of Australia’s nuclear industry and was home to the country’s first nuclear reactor, HIFAR, which opened in 1958.
Its replacement, OPAL (Open Pool, Light Water), is a multipurpose research reactor and has been running since 2007. In addition to nuclear medicine, it produces neutron beams for materials research and irradiated silicon ingots for the semiconductor industry.
ANSTO is also home to Silex Systems and other companies, and its Nandin innovation center is currently trying to attract more startups
Last year, ANSTO managing director Dr. Adi Paterson said it will be “the place where some of Australia’s best and brightest scientists, engineers and graduates meet up with emerging industries and entrepreneurs”.
This story was originally published by @AuManufacturing. Here you can subscribe to the @ AuManufacturing newsletter.
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