The South African cabinet has approved the construction of the Multipurpose Reactor to succeed the Safari-1 research reactor which is located at Pelindaba. Safari-1's operator, Necsa, said the cabinet approval allows the lead-time needed to ensure radioisotope production is not interrupted. The company has also expressed its support for the recent approval by the country's energy regulator of a ministerial determination to procure new nuclear generation capacity.

The PRISMAP network was recently launched which will see more than 20 European academic institutions and research centres pooling their knowledge, expertise and infrastructure to speed up the introduction of new medical radioisotopes. The network aims to provide a sustainable source of high-purity grade novel radionuclides for medical research.

Canada's Bruce Power has received approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for the commercial production of the medical radioisotope lutetium-177 in its nuclear power plants. The project to produce the innovative therapeutic isotope, which is used in the treatment of prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours, is a partnership between Bruce Power, IsoGen, Saugeen Ojibway Nation and ITM.

"There is an old phrase, 'No buying; no dying", Professor James Larkin of the University of Witwatersrand told the World Nuclear Association Annual Symposium in a presentation today. "We are aiming to use nuclear science techniques to devalue rhino horn and bring an end to poaching," he said, explaining the conservation goals of the Rhisotope Project.

The nuclear medicine sector is a small part of the wider nuclear industry, but it provides some of the most pioneering technologies in healthcare - and is close to making personalised medicine a reality. Antonis Kalemis, president of Nuclear Medicine Europe and business manager for molecular imaging at Siemens Healthineers, describes how nuclear medicine also tackles the most trenchant condition in modern healthcare: cancer.

Electrochemical Plant, a subsidiary of Rosatom's nuclear fuel manufacturer TVEL, recorded a 14% increase in revenue from the sale of stable isotopes in 2020, exceeding RUB1.5 billion (USD20.1 million) for the first time. The Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk-based company's global market share of the stable isotope market remains over 40%, TVEL said.

Shine Medical Isotopes yesterday broke ground on its first medical isotope production facility in Janesville, Wisconsin. Commercial production of isotopes, including molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), is scheduled to begin in 2021.