SAIF takes an important step in radioisotope production
The South African Isotope Facility (SAIF), an infrastructure of the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (NRF-iThemba LABS), on September 6 dispatched the first irradiated Rubidium-target and sent it to an external partner for validation testing.
This first irradiation marks the beginning of a journey for NRF-iThemba LABS’s Nuclear Medicine Department of testing the full cycle from irradiation to packaging and transport, as the research facility positions itself to expand its impact on the health sector through the supply of life-saving medical and research radioisotopes.
“This is yet another milestone for #TEAMiThemba. We are charting a future of innovation, one that holds immense promise for science, medicine and the betterment of society,” NRF-iThemba LABS MD Professor Makondelele Victor Tshivhase averred.
“This is a beacon of hope and inspiration for South Africa as NRF-iThemba LABS further advances science, technology and medicine to make the world a healthier, more connected place,” says Nuclear Medicine Department head Dr Deidre Prince.
In addition, the SAIF has completed the transition to the 70-MeV cyclotron for isotope production.
This advanced cyclotron, acquired from IBA, forms the core of the SAIF, inaugurated by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande in June 2023.
The transition to the 70-MeV cyclotron is expected to enhance the production yield at SAIF and free up the separate sector cyclotron, or SCC, which has been in use for over 30 years, for fundamental and applied research.
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