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.
