Life Sciences

The mission of TRIUMF’s Life Sciences program is to save lives every day through the production of radioisotopes and development of novel and more powerful radiochemical and radiopharmaceuticals (radiotracers). We produce and prepare certain commercially unavailable radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals for distribution to researchers, to design and synthesize radiotracers with optimal properties for imaging biological targets and to develop novel tracer imaging systems. The program also includes projects making use of particle beams directly, such as FLASH therapy and beta-detected NMR (betaNMR).

In addition to performing world-class research and making new discoveries, Life Sciences at TRIUMF builds on long-standing collaborations with the the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and BC Cancer, for which we routinely provide various tracers for animal and pre-clinical studies.

Research feature

Rarest Drug

An incredibly rare isotope called actinium-225 could revolutionize the way we treat cancer. Preliminary trials have obliterated cancer in patients given only weeks to live. There’s only one problem: it’s almost impossible to obtain. A team of researchers in Vancouver is trying to change that.

TRIUMF are developing a new way to make actinium-225 using leftover particles from the accelerator. If successful, Canada could become the global supplier of a brand new, lifesaving cancer treatment. Learn more by watching The Rarest Drug.

Life Sciences Facilities

Radiochemistry Research Labs

The Radiochemistry Research Labs are where the radionuclides are extracted and purified from the irradiated target material (e.g., Ca, Ba, Ag) and reacted with either a peptide or an antibody conjugated to a chelator to make tracers that can be used further for in vitro and in vivo studies. RCR-1 has four hot cells, which allows for high levels of radioactivity to be processed remotely with manipulators and automated synthesis modules while protecting the operator. Thorium targets that have been irradiated by the 500 MeV cyclotron, are dissolved and the Ac-225 is extracted through a number of chemical processing steps. RCR-1 also has some high-tech equipment, such as an ICP-MS and gamma spectrometer, which is used for radioactive elemental analysis. This helps the researcher determine radionuclidic and radiochemical purities.

RCR-2 has six lead shielded fume hoods that allow researchers to work with low levels of radioactivity to make tracers, which are composed of either a peptide or antibody conjugated to a chelator and then have an isotope (Zr-89, Tb-161, Ac-225 etc.) attached to it. These “tracers” can be used for medical imaging (e.g. PET Scan) to diagnose diseases such as cancer or to treat other diseases.

Wet Chemistry Laboratories

The synthesis of the various compounds (e.g., peptides and chelators) takes place in Lab 110 which has three fume hoods available for organic synthesis. There is a peptide synthesizer that facilitates the synthesis process by automation. There are also many pieces of equipment, such as an HPLC that assists in the purification of these compounds before they move to the Radiochemistry Labs.

Located on the ground floor of the Radiochemistry Annex is the GMP Quality Control Lab. Also known as Lab 103, it is home to a gas chromatograph, a radio-thin layer chromatography scanner, and quality control equipment used for the Life Sciences’ radiopharmaceutical production program. It also doubles as receiving, quarantine, and storage area for consumables used for radiopharmaceutical production.

HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography)

Target Design and Manufacturing

Many different targets made from gold, calcium, barium, and other materials are designed and fabricated in the Target Design and Manufacturing lab. These targets are an essential component in the production of radionuclides by irradiation via the 500 MeV cyclotron (p,xn and spallation reactions) or the TR-13 (through p,n or p,2n reactions).

High temperature furnace for the fabrication of Targets

Radiobiology Lab

The Radiobiology Lab is our newest research space built for the purpose of expanding our work here at TRIUMF beyond the synthesis stage of radiopharmaceutical development. The lab is a fully functional tissue culture lab where novel radiopharmaceuticals (tracers) are evaluated from their initial design to receptor-binding assays. Further preclinical evaluation is done in collaboration with institutions such as BC Cancer and the Centre for Comparative Medicine.

Student working on tissue culture in the biological safety cabinet.

GMP Capable Radiopharmaceutical Production

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a functional nuclear medicine imaging technique that uses radiolabelled pharmaceuticals or radiotracers to visualize and measure disease-related changes to biological processes in the human body. Radiopharmaceuticals used in PET are radiolabelled or tagged with positron-emitting nuclides such as fluorine-18, carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, gallium-68, etc.

The Life Sciences Division’s facilities include two radiochemistry laboratories located in the basement of TRIUMF’s Radiochemistry Annex (RCA) building. RCA laboratories 005 and 007 are used for the development and production of radiopharmaceuticals used for preclinical and clinical PET research at UBC’s PET/MRI Imaging Center and at the BC Cancer Research Centre.

The radiopharmaceuticals developed and routinely produced in the two RCA labs utilize carbon-11 (C-11, 20-minute half-life) or fluorine-18 (F-18, 110-minute half-life). These PET radionuclides are produced via proton bombardment of cyclotron targets located at the nearby TR-13 accelerator facility. The irradiated target material containing C-11 or F-18 is transferred remotely through shielded capillary lines to Labs 005 and 007 for purification and incorporation into biologically relevant molecules. The molecules to be radiolabelled are selected by physicians and chemists depending on the ultimate purpose of the imaging. Most of the radiopharmaceuticals produced in these labs are used for brain imaging.

Both RCA labs have cleanroom areas with hot cells installed where the radiopharmaceuticals are produced following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines. Operators are specially trained for cleanroom access and must gown up before entering. The hot cells in the cleanrooms are needed to contain radioactive material and to shield the operators from radioactivity during radiopharmaceutical processing. Each hot cell houses an automated synthesis unit that allows remote automated production of the radiopharmaceuticals to minimize radiation exposure during production. The outer lab areas are used for material storage and are equipped with quality control equipment such as dose calibrators, bacterial endotoxin testers and HPLCs.

Lab 007 is equipped with a pneumatically operated pipeline or “rabbit” line with three lines from the Radiochemistry Annex to the Acute Care Unit at UBC hospital, the Vector Suite at the Centre for Comparative Medicine, and the Centre for Brain Health to deliver radiotracers.

research areas

Medical Isotopes
With access to the world’s broadest range of cyclotron energies, from 13 to 500 MeV, TRIUMF Life Science produces a diverse mix of radioisotopes using gas, liquid and solid targets.

The TR13 cyclotron uses any one of gas, liquid or solid targets to produce a variety of radioisotopes, including our staples – C-11 and F-18 – or a wide variety of emerging metallic radionuclides, including Zr-89, Ga-68, Cu-64 and Sc-44. New interests include Sb-119 and Hg-197. At higher energies, the main 500 MeV cyclotron is used with solid targets to produce a variety of experimental metal medical isotopes, including isotopes of titanium, actinium, bismuth and radium.

For radiochemistry research, TRIUMF Life Science operates radiochemistry labs with four state-of-the-art hot cells, or radiation-shielded, robotic-arm accessed chemistry stations. Scientists access a hot cell’s interior using a sophisticated robotic arm that enables them to manipulate glassware and other tools for conducting detailed radiochemical experiments and manipulating the manufacturing systems. This includes developing the purification chemistry for potential new radioisotopes.
Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals

The Radiopharmaceutical Production Group at TRIUMF is focusing on the production and development of radiopharmaceuticals used in brain research and other programs at UBC and BC Cancer (BCC). To accomplish this, the group relies on the TR13 cyclotron and target systems for the production of isotopes like flourine-18 and carbon-11. Additionally, three chemistry labs (005, 007, and 103) located in the Chemistry Annex are used for the radiopharmaceutical production and quality control processes.

The radiopharmaceuticals produced by the Radiopharmaceutical Production Group are prepared following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines. Operating following these guidelines ensures that the radiopharmaceuticals are consistently produced in a controlled manner and that they meet quality standards for their intended use in humans. The radiopharmaceuticals are processed inside of hot cells to shield the radioactivity during processing, and inside of clean rooms to ensure the GMP integrity of the drugs. The radiopharmaceutical production and quality control work is carried out following the requirements of TRIUMF and TRIUMF Life Sciences’ Quality Management Systems, TRIUMF’s Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission license conditions, and Health Canada’s GMP guidelines.

The majority of the tracer compounds produced by the Radiopharmaceutical Production Group at TRIUMF are used for the PET-MRI Imaging Center, a joint UBC/TRIUMF PET imaging program dedicated primarily to imaging research on Parkinson’s disease. The research areas at the PET-MRI Imaging Center also include Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury and healthy ageing, dementia, multiple sclerosis, mood disorders and addiction with a strong emphasis on synergies. The Radiopharmaceutical Group also supports the studies utilizing a Siemens Focus 120 microPET scanner at the PET-MRI Imaging Center. Most of the studies performed on the microPET complement the studies performed on human subjects with the primary focus being on movement disorders.
Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals
An alpha-emitting isotope with a short half-life, actinium-225 can be combined with a protein or antibody that specifically targets and kills cancer cells; the cancer-specific molecules seek out and destroy preferably cancer cells while leaving the surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.

With a short half-life of just ten days, the actinium then decays without significantly accumulating in a patient’s body. Known as targeted alpha therapy (TAT), this form of treatment has shown exciting potential in early studies with prostate cancer patients for whom conventional cancer therapies have not worked.

After having demonstrated the Ac-225 capabilities at TRIUMF in 2019, the Life Sciences division has assembled a team to work towards the production of Ac-225 in clinically relevant quantities. A first test irradiation and processing run is scheduled for later in 2020.

In addition, we are exploring the isotope Ac-226, which can be used as an imaging radionuclide to the therapeutic Ac-225, forming a theranostic pair. The main challenge and limitation are that Ac-226 can only be produced in few ISOL facilities around the world, including the ISAC facility of TRIUMF.

In September 2020, our TRIUMF Life Sciences Division, and Accelerator Division team collaboratively performed the first-ever successful collection and isolation of The isotope was produced in a uranium carbide target at the ISAC rare ion beam facility. Mass 226 of the ion beam was separated and collected at the ISAC implantation station. At the end of the beam after 32 hours collection, around 25 MBq 226Ac was accumulated. New implantation strategy based on depositing the ion beam in a layer of salt (NH4Cl) sublimated on the surface of the implantation target. This enables simple recovery by adding water and minimizes the presence of stable impurities which may affect future radiopharmaceutical application. More than 95% of Ac-226 was recovered.
Bio-Beta NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is ubiquitous in chemistry and biology for studying the structure and dynamics of molecules.

Central to its appeal is its ability to perform non-destructive interrogations of matter at the molecular level using a wide range of probe nuclei. In practice, however, NMR suffers from major challenges which limits its applicability. Some NMR active nuclei suffer from poor sensitivity, and in general, many probe nuclei are required for signal detection, making the technique unsuitable for studying samples at or near physiologically relevant conditions.

An alternative to NMR is the use of radioactive probes where the detection leverages the high-energy radioactive decay. One such technique is b-radiation detected NMR (β-NMR) which instead of stable isotopes uses short-lived b-decaying radioisotopes. β-NMR offers a billion-fold increase in sensitivity, and allows for interrogation of elements which are otherwise difficult to access.

At TRIUMF, our group uses the ultrasensitive b-NMR facility to probe the binding of Li and Mg ions to biomolecules in solution at near physiologically relevant concentrations. In addition, we are actively developing additional isotopes for b-NMR (including Ac, Cu, and Zn).

Learn more
External Beam Radiotherapy
50% of cancer patients in BC receive radiotherapy, either alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. But radiotherapy, while a powerful tool to kill cancer, also has many side effects and is therefore not available to all patients or can lead to subsequent reoccurrence or secondary cancer, putting a significant strain onto the health care system. The aim for most research into radiotherapy is to increase the therapeutic index of the treatment, allowing to effectively kill the cancer cells while keeping the side effects as low as possible to avoid complications. This can be done via better control of the treatment delivery, by having better detection methods to determine the dosimetry of the treatment, or by exploring novel treatment beam options. This project is a summary of experiments covering different aspects of irradiations for medical physics. These experiments have been submitted and have been approved by the MMS-EEC as they require beam time at the PIF&NIF facilities. They are included here as they are carried out in the Life Sciences division. Four experiments (M****) are currently active. One additional FLASH experiment takes place at the ARIEL facility.
Student and Post Doc Opportunities
We are training the next generation of researchers, educators, and innovators. Click here to learn more about different Undergraduate, Graduate, and Postdoc opportunities at TRIUMF.