Photonuclear Production of Radioisotopes

The use of radioisotopes in medicine is witnessing steady growth in all parts of the world. Among the radioisotopes used in medicine, technetium-99m (^99mTc) is currently the most widely applied in clinics. The supply of molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo) for ⁹⁹Mo/^99mTc generators is hence vital for the functioning of nuclear medicine departments. Since the worldwide supply crisis of ⁹⁹Mo in 2007–2009, many countries have begun investigating alternative routes for the production of ⁹⁹Mo and ^99mTc. These efforts have proved useful, opening up new production avenues. In 2017 the IAEA initiated a coordinated research project entitled New Ways of Producing Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) and Tc-99m Generators to identify technical aspects, in particular the use of a high power electron linear accelerator for the production of ⁹⁹Mo. The use of dedicated accelerators capable of producing photons with sufficient energy and flux for radionuclide production is attractive for multiple reasons. This route eliminates the use of uranium and the handling of the associated nuclear waste, and the facilities used can be modular with the feasibility of independent operation of each module. As the list of radionuclides with potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic applications continues to grow, the interest in exploring alternative ways to produce radioisotopes is also increasing. This includes the photonuclear route for routine production of radioisotopes. This publication is the outcome of a meeting of an international team of experts that discussed various technical and scientific details applicable to the production of important radionuclides such as ⁹⁹Mo, copper-67 (⁶⁷Cu), scandium-47 (⁴⁷Sc) and actinium-225 (²²⁵Ac) using the photonuclear route. It compiles the available information and recent developments in using electron accelerators for the production of medical radioisotopes and is expected to be of interest to scientists and technical professionals in the fields of electron accelerators and radioisotope production.