CHALK RIVER, Ontario, March 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology organization, is pleased to announce that it will welcome over 130 international leaders and representatives in health sciences to the Chalk River Laboratories this week for a site tour and series of presentations discussing CNL’s health-related research in nuclear science and technology. The visit was held as part of the 11th International Symposium on targeted alpha therapy (TAT11), a conference jointly organized by CNL and TRIUMF that will be held in Ottawa later this week, which serves as a global forum for academic and industry leaders to meet and discuss the latest technical, regulatory and clinical developments in targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy.
From research and academic organizations to commercial companies and advocacy groups and associations, the opportunity to visit the unique facilities of the Chalk River campus drew interest from a variety of different health-related sectors, and included researchers, scientists, students, drug developers, clinicians, regulatory representatives and other industry ambassadors. The site tour will introduce visitors to a number of CNL’s cutting-edge facilities, including its biological research facility, new materials sciences laboratory, shielded bio-radiation labs and analytical chemistry laboratories, and cover a wide variety of CNL projects in health sciences.
“CNL is thrilled to welcome these international leaders in health sciences to Canada’s national nuclear laboratory, a campus with an incredible history in nuclear medicine and the fight against cancer,” commented Mark Lesinski, CNL President and CEO. “Over one billion treatments have been conducted using medical isotopes produced at the Chalk River Laboratories. This visit, however, is focused on the future – our work to develop innovative new technologies and capabilities to improve human health and the delivery of the next-generation of radioisotopes.”
Last year, CNL and TRIUMF announced the pursuit of a strategic partnership around the commercial production of Actinium-225, a rare medical isotope that has demonstrated the potential to serve as the basis for a ground-breaking new cancer treatment. An alpha-emitting isotope with a short half-life, Actinium-225 can be combined with a protein or antibody that specifically targets cancer cells, creating a revolutionary treatment that is extremely effective at killing cancer cells without doing damage to surrounding, healthy cells.
CNL is also advancing our understanding of the effects of low doses of radiation on humans, the health effects of uptakes of radionuclides, therapeutic treatments to reduce radiation doses in case of human intake of radioactive material, and research aimed at other potentially beneficial uses of radiation for human health. Among other activities, this work includes a project to better understand the impact of potential radiation exposure for astronauts, and research to determine the impacts of low-dose radiation on stem cells, a technique which, in lab testing, has demonstrated very promising results in extending the useful viability of these cells.
“CNL is associated with medical isotopes, but I think our visitors will be impressed with just how broad our program of work is in health sciences, with applications in fields that include safety, space exploration, emergency response and healthcare,” commented Dr. Kathryn McCarthy, Vice-President of Research and Development at CNL. “Through TAT11 and this site visit, we hope to bring together organizations with complementary capabilities to explore the potential of targeted-alpha-therapy for medical applications, and to see whether there are other areas where we can work together to develop new treatments and technologies.”
TAT11 will be held from April 1 – 5, 2019 at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa. For more information on the conference, please visit www.tat11.com or follow the event on Twitter @tat_11_2019. For more information on CNL, including its work in targeted alpha therapy and radiobiology, please visit www.cnl.ca.
About CNL
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is a world leader in nuclear science and technology offering unique capabilities and solutions across a wide range of industries. Actively involved with industry-driven research and development in nuclear, transportation, clean technology, energy, defence, security and life sciences, we provide solutions to keep these sectors competitive internationally.
With ongoing investments in new facilities and a focused mandate, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is well positioned for the future. A new performance standard reinforced with a strong safety culture underscores every activity.
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