The National Atomic Research Institute (NARI) is preparing to install a 70 million electron volts (MeV) cyclotron to produce short-half-life radiopharmaceuticals, which would stabilize the domestic supply of medical isotopes.
The machine is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and begin producing radiopharmaceuticals in 2027, the institute said yesterday.
Taiwan has to import most of its short-half-life radiopharmaceuticals from other countries, NARI vice president Wang Jeng-jong (王正忠) said.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
As radiopharmaceuticals cannot be stored in large amounts due to their short half-life, the country experienced a shortage of the drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said.
The institute could in the past few years only rely on a 30Mev cyclotron it owns to produce thallium chloride (thallium-201) injection, gallium citrate (gallium-67) injection and other medical isotopes that are used for imaging to diagnose heart diseases or malignant tumors, Chang said.
However, the 30MeV cyclotron has been in use for more than 30 years, and the institute is preparing to build the newer, larger 70MeV cyclotron, he said.
The two cyclotrons could ensure the continual supply of radiopharmaceuticals, as one could serve as a backup if the other one malfunctioned, he said.
Radiopharmaceuticals produced in Taiwan are mainly used for the diagnosis of illnesses, Chang said.
“The energy range for the new cyclotron would be between 28MeV and 70MeV, which enables it to produce radiopharmaceuticals that are unable to be produced by the 30 MeV cyclotron, such as Actinium-225, which is often used in cancer treatment,” he said.
Aside from producing radiopharmaceuticals, the new cyclotron could be used to develop advanced materials and test radiation resistance of space components and semiconductors, Chang said.
“In the future, chip manufacturers can have radiation-resistance testing done in Taiwan, rather than overseas,” he said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS