Get to know why CERN’s MEDICIS work is so important!

By: Amedeo Habsburg

CERN’s MEDICIS facility is taking a leading role in addressing one of nuclear medicine’s most pressing challenges: the global shortage of actinium-225 (Ac-225), a promising isotope for targeted alpha therapy. Ac-225 has shown remarkable potential in treating advanced cancers by delivering highly localized doses of radiation that can destroy tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.

Despite its clinical promise, production of Ac-225 remains extremely limited, with only a few laboratories worldwide capable of generating usable quantities. CERN-MEDICIS, which specializes in extracting and purifying medical isotopes from irradiated materials, is now working to expand the community’s abilities to supply through innovative extraction methods and international collaboration.