UKNNL Extracts Cancer Isotopes from Nuclear Waste
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- Howard Greenwood leads a UKNNL team that uses a glass column nicknamed “Poppy” to extract radioactive lead from nuclear waste for cancer drug production.
- PanTera’s CEO Sven Van den Berghe reports that big pharma is pouring billions of dollars into isotope manufacturing to meet radioligand demand.
- Novartis launched Lutathera in 2017, the first FDA‑approved radioligand therapy using lutetium‑177 to target neuroendocrine tumors.
Why it matters: Cancer patients gain life‑saving therapies; isotope producers like PanTera stand to earn billions; but the push to repurpose nuclear waste raises safety and regulatory hurdles.
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