Trudeau announces funding to build nuclear medicine hub
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced federal funding on Thursday to build a hub for nuclear medicine at Canada’s national particle accelerator at the University of B.C. Trudeau made the announcement after meeting employees and touring TRIUMF, which is a joint venture of several universities.
He said the Institute for Advanced Medical Isotopes will provide a first-of-its-kind facility in Canada where scientists and industry partners will work together to do research including drug development and cancer therapy.
A new 2,500-square-metre building will house a new TR-24 medical cyclotron, research facilities and laboratories. The TR-24, a type of particle accelerator designed to create radioactive materials for use in medicine, is built by Advanced Cyclotron Systems Inc. in Richmond and sold around the world. Trudeau said the facility will help Canada stay a leader in medical isotope research. “We know that for our country to lead in an ever-evolving economy and create the jobs of tomorrow, we have to invest in our scientists and in the institutions that support them,” he said.
Medical isotopes are radioactive substances used to diagnose and treat conditions of the heart, circulatory system and organs, allowing scientists to see what is happening inside the body in a non-invasive way.
Ottawa is providing $10.2 million, the B.C. government has put up $12.2 million, TRIUMF itself is putting up $5.4 million. The B.C. Cancer Foundation and UBC will put up $2 million apiece. B.C. Cancer will use the facility to research and develop highly targeted therapeutic isotopes to treat metastatic cancers.