This morning, TRIUMF welcomed BC Health Minister, Adrian Dix, into the Meson Hall, where he announced the province is investing $32 million, including $21 million to BC Cancer for the new cyclotron and radiopharmacy laboratory and approximately $11 million to TRIUMF to advance research. In addition, the BC Cancer Foundation has provided $3.5 million to support capital investments and $15 million in funding for critical cancer research, for a total of $50.5 million.
“Ensuring people in B.C. have access to PET/CT scans and world-class cancer care is a critical part of our Province’s 10-year cancer-care action plan, and we are committed to investing in these life-saving technologies and research,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “By expanding clinical and research radioisotope production, this new facility will improve access to critical diagnostic tests for patients in the coming years, while furthering the groundbreaking research that will transform care and scientific knowledge for generations to come.”
In addition, TRIUMF will receive funding from the Province to expand its laboratory capacity to support cancer research as the next generation of treatments for cancer and other diseases are developed.
“These investments in the Institute for Advanced Medical Isotopes, which leverage TRIUMF’s world-class research community and over five decades of established expertise in cyclotron operations and isotope research, will have a profound impact in improving care for B.C. patients and positioning our province as the driving force in Canada’s nuclear medicine research ecosystem,” said Nigel Smith, executive director and CEO, TRIUMF.
Researchers and staff with TRIUMF and BC Cancer will use the Institute for Advanced Medical Isotopes’ new cyclotron and radiopharmacy laboratories, along with the facilities’ existing cyclotron and laboratories, to produce clinical radiotracers and advance B.C. as a leader in the fast-growing field of nuclear medicine. A growing area of research and innovation is to use radioisotopes for targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies as they can be harnessed to deliver radiation treatment directly to cancer cells with minimal impact on nearby healthy tissues.
Read the full press release here: BC Government News
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