Ontario aims to double medical isotope production by 2030 with help of expert panel

The Ontario government wants to double the number of medical isotopes produced in the province and is launching a new expert advisory panel to help find ways to do so. 

Dubbed the Nuclear Isotope Innovation Council of Ontario (NIICO), the panel will be tasked with identifying new opportunities to expand isotope production in the province to meet the growing demand for precision cancer therapies, said Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines, at a news conference Wednesday. 

"We're here to give hope to everyone who's fought cancer, and for those that may in the future, that there are treatment solutions, that there is a path to recovery using the best of nuclear science," Lecce said. 

Medical isotopes are used in certain cancer therapy treatments and diagnostic tests, as well as to sterilize medical equipment. 

Ontario is already a "global leader" in producing medical isotopes, but the demand for them is increasing, Lecce said. 

The advisory panel is comprised of experts from the medical, nuclear and research sectors. Lecce said he's asked the advisory panel to report back with its recommendations by September.

Among the panel members is Dr. Arjun Sahgal, chief of the department of radiation oncology and the radiation treatment program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. 

He said treatments using medical isotopes have been able "to push the boundaries for patients over the last decade."

"It is very important that physicians provide their perspective on how these treatments can help our patients to ensure that their voices are also heard," Sahgal said. 

"It is a great initiative and very needed, as these treatments can be life-saving and we need to ensure equitable access for patients in Ontario and Canada."