The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has filed a request with the Nuclear Regulation Authority to add medical radioisotope production to the goals of the Joyo experimental fast reactor in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture.
The JAEA has high hopes that the radioactive substance, actinium-225, will serve as a cancer treatment drug. JAEA officials said their aim is to develop a therapy whereby a drug containing actinium-225 is injected into a patient’s body to pinpoint cancer cells.
They said the use of a fast reactor to produce actinium-225 has few parallels elsewhere in the world. Officials added that they are hoping to manufacture the radioisotope by the end of fiscal 2026.
The JAEA and the National Cancer Center Japan signed a collaboration agreement Feb. 29 for research and development of cancer therapy using actinium-225.
Therapeutic trials of the radiation therapy are under way in many countries, but the limited global supply of actinium-225 means that only 3,000 or so patients can be treated each year.
The Joyo is a compact experimental reactor for developing a plutonium-fueled fast reactor. It entered operation in 1977 but has remained offline since 2007 due to equipment failures.
The JAEA is hoping to reactivate the Joyo around the middle of fiscal 2026 and is forging ahead with the formalities to obtain prior agreement from authorities in Ibaraki Prefecture and the town of Oarai.