DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration announced a cooperative agreement with Northwest Medical Isotopes LLC for production of molybdenum-99.
August 28, 2019
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Vital medical isotope is used in over 40,000 medical procedures in the United States each day
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has issued its fourth and final cooperative agreement award in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC, located in Corvallis, Oregon, for the production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) without the use of highly enriched uranium. Three other cooperative agreement awards were announced in July to the following:
- Niowave, Inc., located in Lansing, Michigan
- NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, located in Beloit, Wisconsin
- SHINE Medical Technologies, located in Janesville, Wisconsin
Technetium-99m, an isotope derived from Mo-99, is used in over 40,000 medical diagnostic procedures in the United States each day, including the diagnosis of heart disease and cancer. DOE/NNSA is supporting the establishment of a reliable supply of Mo-99 produced in the United States without the use of highly enriched uranium. To achieve this, the United States is supporting companies to have the capacity to supply approximately 3,000 six-day curies of Mo-99 per week.
The American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2012 directed DOE/NNSA to implement a technology-neutral program, in cooperation with non-Federal entities. Congress appropriated $40 million for these awards in FY 2018 and $20 million in FY 2019 and directed the Department to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement to competitively award cooperative agreements. NNSA will fund each agreement at $15 million and require each awardee to provide $15 million of matching funds.
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