Mac to Ottawa: we can help fill isotope gap

McMaster University says it’s pushing Ottawa hard to expand production at its nuclear reactor to solve a worsening medical isotope crisis.

“It’s kind of like standing next to a train wreck ... and knowing you could help but not being able to,” says Chris Heysel, McMaster’s director of nuclear operations.

The university has been suggesting since 2008 that the federal government look to McMaster as a backup for the critical diagnostic and treatment isotopes used in cancer and other conditions.

“We’ve got Canadian infrastructure here that could be used for the benefit of Canadian patients and for millions and millions around the world,” Heysel said.

McMaster needs about $30 million in operating costs over the next five years to begin supplying demand for the molybdenum-99 isotope now produced at Chalk River.