A rendering of the SHINE medical isotope production facility planned for construction in Veendam, the Netherlands. (Image: SHINE)
SHINE Europe, a subsidiary of Wisconsin-based SHINE Technologies, will work with the Netherlands’ University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) to produce a variety of terbium isotopes for use in nuclear medicine under a grant proposal approved by the Dutch government on October 17.
The company said it will work with UMCG and TU Delft to develop and realize all the technologies and facilities needed to secure the entire supply chain for Tb-based nuclear medicine while also increasing cooperation with partners in the European Union. The grant proposal is subject to final approval by the European Commission.
“Previous collaborations with UMCG and TU Delft have been very fruitful,” said Harrie Buurlage, general manager of SHINE Europe. “We therefore view our collaboration within the project with great confidence.”
Tb challenges: Tb radioisotopes have been shown to be a potentially effective method for diagnosing and treating cancer and other diseases. However, a lack of essential raw materials and complex processing technology are among the current barriers to Tb production. According to SHINE, these obstacles can be solved by the company’s production methods, which will enable it to have a vertically integrated supply chain, from raw material production through cGMP product purification.
SHINE currently produces lutetium-177 in Janesville, Wis., where it is building a specialized medical isotope production facility to produce molybdenum-99, a diagnostic medicine used in millions of procedures to detect heart disease and cancer. The facility is expected to start up in 2023 and will have the capability to produce multiple fission-based radioisotopes as well as key neutron capture–based isotopes. SHINE Europe is planning a similar production site in Veendam, the Netherlands, to come on line in the next five years.
