Toronto – December 7 2023 – In support of Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council’s (CNIC) goal of ensuring a reliable supply of medical isotopes for patients and doubling Canada’s production of isotopes by 2030, CNIC is excited to welcome Actineer to its growing membership.
Formed in October 2023, Actineer is a joint venture company between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM). Created with the mission of fulfilling unmet global needs for Actinium-225 (Ac-225), Actineer will advance production and secure supply that will allow industrial-scale quantities of the isotope to be produced here in Canada. This will facilitate research & drug development, clinical trials, patient access to state-of-art radiopharmaceuticals and enhanced access for Canadians and cancer patients worldwide.
Alpha-emitters, particularly Ac-225, are used in Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) due to their significant potential to treat a variety of different cancers. Ac-225 is in high demand for its ability to cause damage to cancer cells by emitting high-energy alpha particles with a short penetration range, which potentially enable precise treatment of tumor cells with minimal impact to surrounding healthy tissue. In preclinical studies, TATs have shown remarkable results, destroying cancer cells by effectively breaking the bonds in their DNA.
Novel Ac-225-based radiopharmaceuticals require a reliable and growing supply – a challenge that Actineer is addressing. By encouraging international collaboration and innovation in production, Actineer will confront these challenges in supply, expand domestic manufacturing, and increase Canada’s capacity to deliver significant quantities of this high-demand isotope to patients across the world.
“This new joint venture will have significant positive impacts on Canadian patients, researchers, and the healthcare community,” said James Scongack, Chair of the CNIC. “Actineer reflects part of the solution to ensuring that our medical isotope supply chains are reliable and can sufficiently meet patient demand. We look forward to collaborating with Actineer as we work towards CNIC’s goal of increasing domestic production of critical medical isotopes, while expanding Canada’s leadership role internationally.”
“Two companies with long and distinguished histories of delivering medical isotopes to the global market have come together to help realize the potential that Ac-225-based radiopharmaceuticals’ promise”, said Ram Mullur, President of Actineer. “CNL has been fostering the Ac-225 market for years. The creation of the joint venture with ITM will accelerate advancing the technology needed to produce large quantities. Actineer is proud to work with CNIC to ensure Canadians are aware of this pioneering initiative and will have access to the radiopharmaceuticals that Actineer’s efforts will facilitate.”
“Our joint venture Actineer is launched with the overall goal to increase access to this next-generation radioisotope through innovative technology for patients worldwide”, stated Dr. Andreas Benischke, Chief Operating Officer of Actineer. “With the foundation of Actineer we have committed to establishing a reliable, long-term and substantial production of Ac-225 to high quality standards. This Canada-based company will facilitate ground-breaking research activities leading to novel cancer treatments urgently needed by many patients. The entire project team is very proud to work in such a unique constellation of skills and talent and is highly motivated to delivering the first Ac-225 batch together with all our partners next year.”
About Targeted Alpha Therapy
Targeted Alpha Therapy is an emerging class of cancer therapeutics, which seeks to deliver alpha radiation directly to the tumor while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissue. Targeted radiopharmaceuticals are created by linking a therapeutic radioisotope to a targeting molecule (e.g., peptide, antibody, small molecule) that can precisely recognize tumor cells and bind to tumor-specific characteristics, like receptors on the tumor cell surface. As a result, the radioisotope accumulates at the tumor site and decays, releasing a small amount of ionizing radiation, thereby destroying tumor tissue. The highly precise localization enables targeted treatment with minimal impact to healthy surrounding tissue.
About Actineer, Inc.
Actineer™ Inc. is a joint venture company between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM) dedicated to advancing Ac-225 technologies, quickly securing supply, and producing industrial-scale quantities of this valuable, rare medical radioisotope for the treatment of cancer. Founded in October 2023, Actineer™ Inc. together with its strong supply chain collaborators will progress Ac-225 development, production and processing technologies to establish short-term production capabilities that will significantly boost international supplies, while working long-term towards the construction of a new Actinium Production Facility (APF) in Canada. The joint venture’s mission is to fulfil the unmet global manufacturing and production needs of this coveted radioisotope with significant potential in the fight against cancer.
Actineer Contact
Corporate Communications (ITM)
Svenja Gärtner / Gerrit Siegers
Phone: +49 89 329 8986 1502
Email: communications@itm-radiopharma.com
About the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
The CNIC is a coalition of science, healthcare and nuclear-sector organizations to ensure Canada remains a world leader in the production of life-saving isotopes by bringing awareness and supporting long-term policies at the domestic and international level that will save countless lives and support health-care innovation for decades to come.
To learn more about the CNIC visit www.CanadianIsotopes.ca and follow us on, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
For more information, please contact:
Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
Melody Greaves
Manager, Strategic Initiatives
melody.greaves@canadianisotopes.ca