Targeted alpha therapy: One compound holds promise for unified cancer care

ORNL is a leader in both the development of advanced radiotherapies and the supply of the radioisotopes needed for these therapies. According to Karen Sikes, director of the National Isotope Development Center, the laboratory houses more than 300 isotopes available to researchers and others. In addition to actinium-225, medical radioisotopes on the list include lead-212, an in vivo alpha emitter generator in clinical trials for the treatment of liver, prostate, skin and other cancers, and actinium-227, which decays to the alpha emitter radium-223, found in the approved drug Xofigo used to treat prostate cancers that have spread to the bones.