NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes moved one step closer to producing molybdenum-99 Friday after winning three patents and one trademark approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
NorthStar plans to produce the medical isotope, used for imaging procedures for cancer, heart disease, infection, and inflammation treatment, at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). Production is expected to begin in the first half of 2017. The patents were granted for the company’s RadioGenix isotope separation system, which will produce NuMolium, NorthStar’s brand of moly-99, which received the trademark.
The Western Hemisphere is expected to be without a moly-99 supplier starting in March 2018, when Canada is set to shut its National Research Universal reactor down.
The company noted in a press release Friday that its non-fission, non-uranium-based production process means less safety and security concerns than moly-99 production alternatives. Most moly-99 is manufactured in aging reactors using nuclear weapon-usable highly enriched uranium, creating potential for nuclear proliferation risks, the company said,.
