NNSA AWARDS $10.9M FOR MEDICAL ISOTOPE PRODUCTION

The National Nuclear Security Administration is awarding NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, with a second tranche of funding aimed at accelerating production of Molybdenum-99, a critical medical isotope. The NNSA said yesterday that it is providing $10.9 million to NorthStar under a cooperative agreement that will be matched by the company. NNSA already provided $4 million to develop NorthStar’s neutron capture-based Mo-99 production technology. The NNSA said the latest funding award will speed up production for NorthStar in the short-term and provide for long-term development efforts for accelerator-based production at the same time. NorthStar is one of several companies that are developing technologies to meet NNSA’s dual goals of jump-starting Mo-99 production and eliminating the use of highly enriched uranium in its production. NorthStar is pursuing the technology in partnership with the University of Missouri Research Reactor. “This cooperative agreement demonstrates that the government and commercial industry can work together to reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation while providing stability to an important part of the medical radioisotope market,” NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Anne Harrington said in a statement. “The development of commercial technologies to produce Mo-99 without the use of HEU will ensure that patients have access to the care they need while supporting global nuclear nonproliferation objectives.”