ARRONAX, a 70 MeV cyclotron for radiochemistry and nuclear medicine

ARRONAX means: 'Accelerator for Research in Radiochemistry and Oncology at Nantes Atlantic'. ARRONAX is also a veiled reference to Professor ARRONAX, a character in Jules Verne's novel 'Twenty thousand leagues under the sea'. Jules Verne was born in Nantes in 1825. This large equipment is being installed at Saint-Herblain, in the outskirts of Nantes, on the campus of the University Hospital and of Cancer Center. ARRONAX aims at producing innovative radionuclides for research in nuclear medicine and at performing research in radiochemistry on radiolysis (study on radiation effects on living or inert matter). For research in nuclear medicine the main domain of application is diagnostic (PET imaging) and therapeutic (radionuclide therapy) oncology. Another application is PET imaging in cardiology. Radiolysis is the second facet of the research project. ARRONAX will provide a privileged tool, one the one hand, to better determine the confining quality of radioactive waste containers and, on the other hand, to test devices submitted to radiations (like e.g., spatial electronic). The ARRONAX project leaders are the University of Nantes and the Regional Council of 'les Pays de la Loire' in cooperation with CNRS (National Scientific Research Center), INSERM (National Institute of Health and Medical Research), the University Hospital, the Cancer Center and the engineering school 'Ecole des mines'. The scientific initiators are: Jacques Barbet and Jean-Francois Chatal (Inserm-University of Nantes), Jacques Martino (Subatech, CNRS, 'Ecole des mines', University of Nantes) and Yves Thomas (division of economic development at the University of Nantes). The global cost of 34.5 million Euro has been shared between : the regional and local authorities for 19.5 M Euro; the French State for 8.6 M Euro; the European Union for 6.4 M Euro. The annual operating budget is provided by the funding agencies: CNRS, INSERM, University of Nantes, University Hospital, Cancer Centre, and Ecole des mines; and is supplemented through contracts with industrial partners. Summer 2009. ARRONAX will be unique through the combination of several characteristics: - a 70 MeV energy whereas the energy of the majority of biomedical cyclotrons does not exceed 30 MeV; - a maximal proton intensity of 750 μA whereas the intensity of the majority of biomedical cyclotrons does not exceed 100 μA; - the possibility to accelerate protons, deuterons and alpha particles whereas the majority of biomedical cyclotrons accelerate only protons. ARRONAX is built thanks to a joint initiative of Subatech laboratory (CNRS, Ecole des mines, University of Nantes) and Research Center of Oncology in Nantes (Inserm, Universite of Nantes) for which it is a major research instrument. But ARRONAX is also open to projects originating from any interested academic research laboratories in Europe and also, under conditions to be defined, to industrial partners. All projects will be evaluated by an international scientific committee which will propose the related priorities. (author)