SECURE Project

Strengthening the European Chain of sUpply for next generation medical RadionuclidEs

DESCRIPTION of the SECURE Project

The SECURE project aims to make a major contribution to the sustainability of medical isotope production and its safe application in Europe.

It is focusing on promising developments in the design of irradiation targets, and production routes for existing and new isotopes in nuclear therapy and diagnostics.

Isotopes which are critical for the success of nuclear medicine are selected and research activities are identified to address some of the major challenges in securing its future availability.

Objectives are the following:
1. to remove critical barriers along the production of its selected alpha and beta-emitting isotopes that restrict sustainable production,
2. to develop a framework of guidance and recommendations that enable exploring the full clinical potential of alpha and beta particle therapy and its safe application
3. to provide important lessons learned that act as a demonstration case for addressing issues in upscaling and sustained isotope production.

The expected demand of nuclear medicine for novel alpha-emitters and beta-emitters requires a re-evaluation of their production methods and inventories of target materials and parent radionuclides.

The ambition of the SECURE consortium is to identify and efficiently use the current resources for new radionuclides, particularly for alpha emitters and the relevant beta-emitting theranostic radionuclides.

The development of alternative technologies for the production of such therapeutic radionuclides for improved patient treatment requires multidisciplinary scientific and technological knowledge including physics, chemistry, material science, machining of target materials, chemistry, biology and radiobiology, radiopharmacy and nuclear medicine.

All this chain of expertise is present in the SECURE consortium.

PARTNERS

Participant organization name Short name Country
1 NARODOWE CENTRUM BADAN JADROWYCH NCBJ Poland
2 NUCLEAR RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY GROUP NRG Netherlands
3 INSTITUT MAX VON LAUE – PAUL LANGEVIN ILL France
4 INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN JSI Slovenia
5 EUROPEAN NUCLEAR EDUCATION NETWORK ENEN Belgium
6 ENERGIATUDOMANYI KUTATOKOZPONT EK Hungary
7 EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF ORGANISATIONS FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS EFOMP Netherlands
8 AGENZIA NAZIONALE PER LE NUOVE TECNOLOGIE, L’ENERGIA E LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO SOSTENIBILE ENEA Italy
9 STUDIECENTRUM VOOR KERNENERGIE / CENTRE D’ETUDE DE L’ENERGIE NUCLEAIRE SCK CEN Belgium
10 EVALION SRO EVALION Czechia
11 BUDAPESTI MUSZAKI ES GAZDASAGTUDOMANYI EGYETEM BME Hungary
12 CLUST ER INDUSTRIE DELLA SALUTE E DEL BENESSERE Clust-ER Health Italy
13 CLUSTERUL REGIONAL INOVATIV DE IMAGISTICA MOLECULARA SI STRUCTURALA NORD-EST IMAGO-MOL Romania
14 ISTITUTO ROMAGNOLO PER LO STUDIO DEI TUMORI DINO AMADORI – IRST SRL IRST Italy
15 UNIVERSITE DE BRETAGNE OCCIDENTALE UBREST France
16 UNIVERZITETNI KLINICNI CENTER LJUBLJANA UKCL Slovenia
17 JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE- EUROPEAN COMMISSION JRC Belgium
18(associated) NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY LIMITED NNL United Kingdom

PROJECT Kick-Off meeting took place in Warsaw, on 5 October 2022

SECURE Project – General Assembly meeting at ENEA Premises in Frascati (Rome, Italy)

A special ‘GRAZIE’ to our ENEA colleagues who made all this possible:

Alessandro Dodaro, Head of FSN department, for his warm welcome and introducing ENEA activities,

and

Cristina Sanna (REL-EVENTI), Patrizia Franzini (ISER), Catia Melorio (FSN),  Katia Tancredi (ISER), Paola Berardini (FSN-FISS-RNR), and Luigi Lepore (FSN-FISS), Stefano Loreti (FSN-FNG) & Antonino Pietropaolo (FSN-FNG), for the support given to Marco Capogni (FSN-INMRI) to organize the event.

“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.”

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