MISSION-CRITICAL MEDICINE ansto.gov.au
Australia’s nuclear science and technology organisation, ANSTO, dispatches more than 10,500 doses of nuclear medicines every week. Robert Gee, acting general manager of ANSTO’s nuclear-medicine production facilities, tells us how.
What is nuclear medicine used for?
Nuclear medicine is used to diagnose and treat serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. When a patient undergoes a procedure, this medicine will be administered and will then concentrate in the part of the body that’s under investigation – the brain, salivary glands, thyroid or lungs, for example – giving doctors a clearer picture of what’s going on. More than one in two Australians are likely to benefit from the nuclear medicine produced at ANSTO.
How are these medicines made?
The radioactive materials needed to produce nuclear medicines at ANSTO are first irradiated in the OPAL multipurpose reactor – the only nuclear reactor in Australia, located in Sydney’s Lucas Heights. They are then moved to ANSTO’s nuclear-medicine production facility before being processed and distributed to hospitals and clinics around Australia and the world.
And how is it transported?
It’s packed into small, Esky-style shielded containers to ensure safe distribution across the country, including to remote locations such as Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Domestically, we send about 30 containers per day. Qantas Freight’s service enables us to book product onto a flight. The Qantas team then work closely with ANSTO to make sure it’s received at the required destination as quickly as possible.
What sort of time are we talking?
The process aims to have all the orders delivered around Australia by midmorning the day after they leave ANSTO in Sydney.