Big deal on nuclear medicine

Australia's nuclear research organisation ANSTO and diagnostics company Siemens Medical Solutions have signed a $10 million deal to build a nuclear medicine production facility in Sydney.

The facility will enable hospitals to supply positron emission topography (PET) based treatments without the need for an in-house cyclotron.

Currently, hospitals require their own cyclotron to supply a PET facility with the necessary radiopharmaceuticals. The new facility will have two on site.

The deal also gives ANSTO access to Siemens' international PET radiopharmaceuticals network (PETNET) which consists of 46 PETNET centres that enable hospitals to diagnose and treat patients and supporting institutions to undertake research into next generation radiopharmaceuticals.

"The contract with Siemens will allow ANSTO to build twin cyclotrons at its site in Sydney's south and produce the short-lived radiopharmaceutical FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) used in PET scanning," ANSTO's executive director, Dr Ian Smith, said.

"PET is the fastest growing medical diagnostic imaging technique in the world and was recently recognised in federal government research as the best option for diagnosis and treatment in Australia," he said. "Its use has grown globally by 200 per cent in the last two years but many Australian patients are currently missing out.

"FDG has a half-life of 110 minutes meaning that it loses half of its activity every 110 minutes. This means this radiopharmaceutical cannot be imported. PET facilities use hospital-based cyclotrons or an outside supplier to produce FDG for a restricted number of patients. The new facility will make FDG available to the wider community."

Siemens will also contribute to a joint radiopharmaceutical research program with ANSTO.

PET facilities currently exist in the following hospitals: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Liverpool Hospital, Newcastle Hospital, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, Westmead Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Austin Health and Medical Imaging Australia, Monash Medical Centre, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Wesley Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital.