The SHINE Medical factory moves to the Dutch city of Veendam: “Nuclear reactors are no longer needed to produce nuclear medicine”
The American company SHINE Medical Technologies is building a factory for medical isotopes near Veendam in the Netherlands. “And we’re in a hurry. The world currently relies on very outdated nuclear reactors to manufacture nuclear medicines, ”said Harrie Buurlage, Vice President of SHINE Medical. With the help of a particle accelerator, radioactive substances, among other things, are to be produced in the new factory, which are needed for cancer detection and treatment, among other things.
SHINE Medical Technologies Vice President Harrie Buurlage
It is the first of its kind, the particle accelerator with which SHINE Medical produces, among other things, medical isotopes for cancer drugs. The first SHINE factory will be built in America, with a second to follow in Veendam. Everything should be ready in 2023. Then the construction of the plant in Veendam will start. “And two years later we want to send the first medical isotopes out into the world from Veendam,” says Buurlage. The company is investing around 200 million euros in the new plant in Veendam and is expected to employ around 200 people.
Veendam emerged as the best alternative in the search (which took at least a year and a half) to find the right place to build the new factory. “Veendam has the perfect combination of factors for the production line,” explains Buurlage. “Medical isotopes have a limited shelf life, so the fact that Eelde Airport is a 20-minute drive away is ideal. In addition, the location is right on the N33 motorway, so we don’t have to drive through residential areas. In addition, it is only about 20 minutes by car to the city of Groningen, so that we can easily work with the University of Groningen (RUG) and the University Hospital of Groningen on research projects. “
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Obsolete reactors
SHINE’s new method comes at just the right time. After all, healthcare currently relies on very outdated research reactors to manufacture nuclear drugs. “Worldwide, 50 million treatments with nuclear drugs take place every year,” says Buurlage. “The drugs enable patients to live longer and have a better quality of life. But hope for these people is currently hanging by a thread. I watch one nuclear reactor after another fall on my knees. ”In the last 10 years many European reactors have been decommissioned and nuclear power plants are often shut down temporarily because of a leak. And a new reactor is not only ready for operation in the blink of an eye: “It takes 20 to 30 years before a new one can be used,” explains Buurlage.
The SHINE particle accelerator explains
Uranium is the basic substance for the medical isotopes that are produced in Veendam, the Netherlands. In the particle accelerator, the uranium is irradiated with so-called neutrons, which creates radioactive particles. These particles can then be used for medical purposes. With the technology used in Veendam, it is possible to accelerate particles over an area of less than half a meter to 16 million kilometers per hour.
For a full description of the process, click Here.
In addition to the fact that the new process with the particle accelerator can be used quickly, it offers other advantages. “We work with technology that is much cleaner and safer. We use uranium in the production process, but we reuse the uranium, so the amount of waste is much less. ”The production of isotopes with the particle accelerator requires 100 times less uranium fission compared to production in a nuclear reactor.
More than medication
As a result, the Veendam facility will focus on isotope production, but SHINE Medical has even more ambitions on a global scale. Burlage continues. “That may seem a long way off, but in 10 or 15 years we want to reduce the problem of radioactive waste with our particle accelerator. After all, our particle accelerator is also capable of doing this. We can, after all, turn long-lived nuclear waste into short-lived ones. This is how we want to expand our program. “
Competition with heavily subsidized reactors
In order for all of these plans to become reality, Buurlage still sees obstacles on the way that have to be overcome. “We are currently competing with reactors that are heavily subsidized by the government, and of course we are fighting hard for a level playing field,” says Buurlage. He is hopeful. “I hold talks with ministers and negotiate at European level. I very much hope that this innovative importance will soon be rewarded. “
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