NCBJ becomes one of the partners of the European medical radionuclide programme PRISMAP

NCBJ participates in the European programme of production of medical isotopes – PRISMAP. With our experience in the field of production and research of radionuclides for medical purposes, we will be one of the elements of the communication network for the users of new radionuclides for diagnostics and therapy created within the project.

For many years, radioisotopes have been an important component of drugs (radiopharmaceuticals) used to diagnose and treat many diseases, especially cancer. New radioisotopes represent a potential for development of this field. However, few research centers have the ability to produce them in sufficient quantity and quality to be useful for medical applications. The PRISMAP project aims to change this situation. PRISMAP will bring together Europe’s leading research institutions working in different areas of research on new radiopharmaceuticals to advance the field. The network will include facilities where radioisotopes are irradiated (research nuclear reactors and accelerators), installations for separating and purifying radioisotopes (chemical methods or mass separation techniques) and research facilities where new drugs are designed. Radioisotopes will be able to reach the latter regardless of their distance from the production sites. In this way, the PRISMAP project will contribute to the creation of a new standard for international cooperation in Europe. It will also result in increased interest from the pharmaceutical industry and ultimately improve healthcare and the lives of citizens.

Prof. Renata Mikołajczak from the POLATOM Radioisotope Centre describes our involvement in this undertaking as follows: „In this project NCBJ is one of the few centers where radioisotopes for medical purposes are produced. We will support the project partners by making these radioisotopes available to them, as well as our experience in radioisotope labelling methods, analytical qualitative research and preclinical studies. We will collaborate in the WP4-NA1 working group to develop quality requirements for new radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals. „

The PRISMAP project – PRoduction of high purity Isotopes by mass Separation for Medical APplication involves 23 partners from 13 European countries, including CERN and JRC. The project will run from 2021 to 2025 and is funded under Horizon 2020 Programme. More information about the project can be found on our website https://old.ncbj.gov.pl/en/prismap-project, as well as on the official project website https: //www.prismap.eu/.