NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes and proton therapy developer Ion Beam Applications (IBA) are expanding their collaboration in an effort to increase the supply of technetium-99m (Tc-99m) around the world.
Under the new partnership, companies outside the U.S. will now be able to purchase Tc-99m generation systems that utilize NorthStar's nonuranium-based molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) produced using IBA's accelerators and beamlines, according to the vendors. Mo-99 is the precursor to Tc-99m.
The expanded partnership builds on a previous contract under which IBA is providing NorthStar with up to eight of its Rhodotron TT 300-HE electron beam accelerators for producing nonuranium-based Mo-99. NorthStar's RadioGenix system will then use the Mo-99 to produce Tc-99m in the U.S.
The first pair of IBA accelerators are expected to arrive from Belgium in early April at NorthStar's expanded accelerator production facility in Beloit, WI.
