Concept art of TerraPower Isotopes’s newly planned facility in the Bellwether District of South Philadelphia. (Image: TerraPower Isotopes)
TerraPower Isotopes, a TerraPower subsidiary, plans to increase its actinium-225 production 20-fold by opening a new manufacturing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., and by expanding the capacity of its Everett, Wash., facility. On March 17, TerraPower Isotopes said it expects the new facility to begin producing the medical radioisotope for targeted alpha therapy in 2029.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office stated Tuesday that TerraPower Isotopes is making a $450 million investment and that the company will receive a $3 million Pennsylvania First grant and $7 million through the Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites program. The facility will be in the Bellwether District of Philadelphia, which will allow it to receive tax benefits through the Keystone Opportunity Zone until 2043.
“This new facility is a testament to the demand for actinium-225 as part of the growing industry which is transforming how cancer is treated,” said Scott Claunch, president of TerraPower Isotopes.
TerraPower president and CEO Chris Levesque added, “This new facility will help us increase the global supply of actinium-225 and increase access for researchers and drug developers who are advancing new cancer treatments.”
Targeted alpha therapy: Identified as a critical isotope by the Department of Energy Isotope Program due to its high demand and limited availability, Ac-225 is a prime candidate for a range of emerging cancer treatments, some of which are currently in human clinical trials, due to its alpha decay path and 10-day half-life.
Alpha particles are highly effective at targeting cancer cells with minimal impact to surrounding healthy tissue because they typically travel only the length of a few cell diameters. The Ac-225 decay chain releases four alpha particles before stabilizing as bismuth-209.
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