Capacities and current activities of the Cyclotron and Nuclear Medicine Department at NRCAM

The Cyclotron and Nuclear Medicine Department at the Nuclear Research Center for Agriculture and Medicine (NRCAM) has a cyclotron accelerator (model Cyclone 30) which is a fixed frequency, dual beam extraction system with capabilities to produce a proton beam in the 15-30 MeV energy range, and a deuteron beam in the 7-15 MeV range, with maximum output currents of 350 μA and 150 μA respectively. This department consists of laboratories and sections such as: electrochemical, inorganic chemistry, labelling, radioisotope production hot laboratories, quality control, nuclear medicine, etc. Accordingly, the department is capable of producing various radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, conforming, in terms of quality and quantity, to international standards. The widely used products in nuclear medicine manufactured at the facility include 201Tl, 67Ga, 81mKr, 111In, 18FDG, 123I, 103Pd and 57Co. Of these radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, 201Tl, 67Ga, and 81mKr are produced routinely every week and sent to about 35 hospitals and nuclear medicine centres around the country. In order to gain knowledge in the routine production of 103Pd and 57Co radioisotopes, an IAEA technical cooperation programme was initiated (IRA/04/032). There are also some new IAEA technical cooperation projects under consideration. The production of 123I by the new technique of bombarding the 123Te isotope with protons and gaining knowledge of producing the seed form of 103Pd for use in brachytherapy are some of these new suggested technical cooperation projects. With regard to international safety principles, radiation protection and environmental protection rules, this department aims to choose the quality management standard system ISO 9001-2000 for its radiopharmaceutical production. The paper introduces the cyclotron and nuclear medicine department at NRCAM, its facilities, current activities and future goals, as well as demonstrating the indigenous capacity to produce radiopharmaceuticals. (author)