The joint collaboration will increase access to Actinium-225, supporting the global development of radiopharmaceutical drugs for advanced cancer therapy.
BELLEVUE, Washington – June 26, 2023 – TerraPower Isotopes and PanTera, the Belgian joint venture created by SCK-CEN and IBA, announced today that they have entered into a strategic collaboration agreement that will increase the availability of Actinium-2251, a radioisotope that may be applied to new medical applications that aim to target and treat cancer.
TerraPower Isotopes’ process extracts Actinium-225 through a natural decay method from Thorium-229. PanTera utilizes a “Gamma route” method based on Rhodotron® and Radium-226. Through this collaboration, the companies will use both methods for developing Actinium-225.
“Consistent with TerraPower’s vison of developing innovative solutions to help fight disease using nuclear science, TerraPower Isotopes® is thrilled to secure this collaboration with PanTera,” said Scott Claunch, President of TerraPower Isotopes. “Demand for Actinium-225 is expected to increase as more radiopharmaceutical treatments using Actinium-225 are developed to treat a variety of different types of cancers. This collaboration will help us supply this valuable material to the pharmaceutical industry and meet the growing global demand.”
Since 2018, TerraPower has been working to increase supply of Actinium-225 from Thorium-229 decay, which is derived from legacy U.S. nuclear material through a public-private partnership. Actinium-225 is an alpha-emitting radionuclide that through further manufacturing can be attached to a targeting molecule, which will then selectively target and destroy cancerous tissue. TerraPower Isotopes aims to increase the supply of Actinium-225 by 75 to 100 times, and this collaboration with PanTera will further increase the speed and supply of Actinium-225 that is available to the global pharmaceutical community.
“We are excited to join forces with TerraPower Isotopes to increase the market availability of Actinium-225. While continuing to prepare our unique technology for large scale production of Actinium-225, we will also offer, as from 2024, the radioisotope to drug developers for their research and clinical trials, as well as for physicians for compassionate use,” commented Sven Van den Berghe, PanTera’s Chief Executive Officer. “This volume would be equivalent to 50% of today’s supply and underpin the wider development of these targeted alpha therapy radiopharmaceuticals as an effective treatment modality for cancer.”
About TerraPower
TerraPower is a leading nuclear innovation company that strives to improve the world through nuclear energy and science. Since it was founded by Bill Gates and a group of like-minded visionaries, TerraPower has emerged as an incubator and developer of ideas and technologies that offer energy independence, environmental sustainability, medical advancement and other cutting-edge opportunities. It accepts and tackles some of the world’s most difficult challenges. Behind each of its innovations and programs, TerraPower actively works to bring together the strengths and experiences of the world’s public and private sectors to answer pressing global needs. Learn more at terrapower.com.
About PanTera
PanTera, an IBA and SCK CEN joint-venture, aims to secure the large-scale production of actinium-225 (225Ac), one of the most promising alpha-emitting radioisotopes to fight cancers by Targeted RadioTherapy (TRT). By working towards this large-scale production, PanTera’s ultimate goal is to improve the accessibility of future innovative cancer therapy based on 225Ac and theranostics in general.
[1] TerraPower Isotopes produced Actinium-225 is intended to be used as starting materials for further manufacturing processes and, as starting materials, is not manufactured in accordance with current good manufacturing practices.
