A reactor in Hamilton fuels global cancer care
In the city of Hamilton, Ontario, the McMaster Nuclear Reactor is running at full tilt, a few decades older than the students who pass by its security gates. The reactor, humming for over 60 years, has just received a boost of C$26.9 million from the provincial government. This will triple its research output and churn out more than 84,000 cancer treatments each year. The cash injection includes $18 million already spent on reactor upgrades.
Iodine-125 is the product of choice. Sixty percent of the world's supply comes from this one reactor. It is in use for prostate and other cancers, and hundreds of doses are made every week. The reactor also supports thousands of experiments for industry and environmental research.
A government goal to double isotope production
Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s energy and mines minister, called it an expansion of hope. Two in five Canadians will face cancer in their lifetime, he said, and doubling medical isotope production by 2030 is now the province’s goal. The reactor already operates at 5 megawatts and uses low-enriched uranium fuel, cooled by ordinary water.
Nolan Quinn, the province’s minister of colleges and security, said the investment locks in access to “homegrown” treatments and keeps Ontario in the top tier of nuclear medicine research. The reactor’s upgraded role is meant to be both cutting-edge and practical.