SHINE receives new generator, now 1 step closer to domestic Mo-99 production
SHINE Medical Technologies, a Monona, Wisconsin-based medical isotope manufacturer, is now closer to producing molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) after receiving a new custom-designed production accelerator. Phoenix, another Monona-based company, built the production accelerator and delivered it to SHINE’s medical isotope production campus in Janesville, Wisconsin.
“This is a really special day for all of us, and is personally very exciting for me,” Greg Piefer, SHINE CEO, said in a prepared statement. “This delivery represents the culmination of almost a decade of joint work between Phoenix and SHINE, moving from proof of concept, to proof of scale, and now to a commercial-ready unit that can produce thousands of doses of medicine per day when paired with the SHINE target.”
“We're incredibly excited to see all the hard work over the years result in this outcome,” Ross Radel, Phoenix CEO, said in the same statement. “Through our partnership with SHINE, our neutron generators will support production of enough Mo-99 to provide millions of people a year with the critical imaging procedures they need.”
Construction on the production facility is expected to begin in 2019, using a total of eight Phoenix neutron generators. SHINE plans to begin commercial production of Mo-99 in 2021.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.