A first for Saskatchewan as the province’s only cyclotron facility moves into its next phase, supplying radioisotopes for patients.
The Saskatchewan Centre for Cyclotron Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan has received clearance from Health Canada to supply Royal University Hospital (RUH) with radioisotopes.
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When joined with an imaging agent, the radioisotopes allow doctors to see biological processes in action such as the location of cancer cells – allowing for more effective treatment. The centre will begin supplying RUH in June.
Also, the centre has been approved for radioisotope research using the radioisotopes produced there. The team will study prostate enlargement and prostate cancer, specifically in dogs, one of the few animals besides humans to develop the condition.
Construction of the $25-million facility was completed in November 2014.
Saskatchewan’s only cyclotron is currently producing fluorine-18. The radioisotope is used in PET-CT scans for both people and research.