Ensuring a steady supply
of cyclotron-produced actinium-225
About our technology
AlfaRim’s innovative technology for the industrialised production of actinium-225 (Ac-225) is based on the physical Ra-226(p,2n)Ac-225 reaction: bombarding radium-226 (Ra-226) with protons generated by a medical cyclotron, in order to produce high quantities of cGMP-grade Ac-225 at significantly lower costs.
Ra-226(p,2n)Ac-225 reaction explained
We will produce Ac-225 in our own state-of-the-art medical isotope production facility in Delft, the Netherlands. In one of our hot labs, Ra-226 will be mounted on a solid target that is then placed in front of a beamline in a target irradiation bunker. Our cyclotron will generate protons with an energy of up to 18 MeV, which exit through the beamline towards the Ra-226 target.
The target is irradiated for a set amount of time. Due to the massive impact of the proton bombardment, single protons enter the nucleus of Ra-226 atoms, causing those atoms to become excited and unstable. In order to reach a (more) stable state, the excited Ra-226 atoms eject two neutrons from their nuclei, thereby transforming themselves into a different element: Ac-225. Due to the low conversion rate of Ra-226 to Ac-225, the remaining Ra-226 is unaffected and can be reused again and again, making AlfaRim’s production process highly sustainable.
Large scale production and continuous supply of Ac-225
Ac-225 demand for clinical research alone is currently estimated at 50.000 millicuries (mCi) per year. However, today’s worldwide supply is no more than 4.900 mCi per year. AlfaRim has secured its own Ra-226 stock and based on its innovative production technology we will be capable of producing large quantities of Ac-225 and supply it to customers ranging from a single patient dose to multi-patient bulk doses.
of actinium-225 per year
of current estimated global demand
the current global production
The AlfaRim Facility
Our state-of-the-art medical isotope production facility, dedicated to the supply of cGMP-grade Ac-225
AlfaRim is currently developing a brand-new radiopharmaceutical production facility on the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) Campus, directly opposite the Holland Proton Therapy Center (Holland PTC) and the nuclear reactor of the Reactor Institute Delft (RID).
Production labs
The facility will house several hot labs authorised to handle alpha isotopes. Targets will be manufactured in our dedicated Radium lab, from which they are automatically transported to one of the two target irradiation bunkers connected to our cyclotron. Ac-225 will be dispensed under cGMP-qualifications at our Actinium lab. The pre-calibrated final product – ranging from patient doses to bulk volumes for central labelling at clients’ facilities – will be packed in our isotope packaging and logistics labs.
R&D lab
Besides production labs, the facility will also house an R&D lab with access to the cyclotron. This lab will be used for AlfaRim’s own research into novel radioisotopes. Alternatively, this lab can be used to test (future) clients’ targeting molecules with AlfaRim’s Ac-225. It can also function as an Open Innovation Test Bed, where external parties (academic, scientific, corporate, etc.) can rent “beam-time”.
