2025-11-21
Innovate UK recently announced a £9.9 million investment, combined with £8.9 million from industry partners, to jointly support a major project developing new cancer treatments using Lead-212. Lead-212, as a key element, has attracted significant attention for its development and application.
This project, based on the close collaboration between the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) and the Medical Discovery Catapult (MDC), aims to develop a targeted alpha therapy treatment using Lead-212. Lead-212 has emerged as a new high-precision targeted approach for cancer treatment due to its short half-life and the ability of its decay products to precisely destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy tissues. According to UKNNL, despite the extremely complex extraction process, the UK's abundant reserves of Lead-212 make large-scale applications possible. The Lead-212 extracted through a series of chemical reactions from minute amounts of parent material could potentially benefit thousands of patients after development by MDC scientists.
Juliana Antrous, CEO of UKNNL, emphasized: "Lead-212 is made from recycled fuel that once powered British homes and is now serving society again by bringing new hope to cancer patients." She pointed out that this project not only transforms Britain's nuclear expertise into life-saving treatments but also solidifies the country's position in nuclear science and medical innovation. Chris Molloy, CEO of the Drug Discovery Accelerator, also stated that Lead-212 is a valuable national resource with extraordinary medical potential, and the funding from Innovate UK provides the necessary resources for the project to achieve its goals.
Source: China Nuclear Technology Network
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