RAD-ability

The use of radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals is revolutionizing medical diagnostics and targeted therapies. Typically, radionuclides follow a linear life process: production, transformation into radiopharmaceuticals, and distribution to hospitals for patient administration. After administration, most radionuclides are rapidly excreted from the patient’s body, generating radioactive biological waste that nuclear medicine departments must safely store until decay. The rapid growth of the nuclear medicine field, fueled by breakthroughs in radiotheranostics and targeted radionuclide therapies, predicts a substantial rise in radioactive patients and associated biological waste. This growth demands significant investment in infrastructure, like lead-shielded tanks and specialized toilet systems, to manage waste safely. Simultaneously, the discipline faces radionuclide shortages that disrupt (pre)clinical research and patient care. Limited global supplies of radionuclides like actinium-225 have already forced some clinical trials to halt patient recruitment. Additionally, the approval of lutetium-177-based therapies has further strained supply chains, with future shortages anticipated. In this context, RAD-ability seeks to redefine sustainability in the fields of nuclear medicine and preclinical research by tackling two major challenges confronting the discipline: i) radioactive waste management, and ii) improving radionuclide availability. RAD-ability aims to establish a circular lifecycle for radionuclides by establishing a recycling procedure, which enables the recovery of radionuclides from biological waste and their recycling for preclinical research. Initially, RAD-ability will focus on optimizing the recycling procedure to maximize radionuclide recovery yields, streamline the number of steps, reduce extraction time, and expand its applicability to a broad range of radionuclides. In a second phase, RAD-ability will work on automating the process, creating a practical solution for on-site radionuclide extraction at clinical centers with preclinical research needs. Finally, RAD-ability will address the technical and regulatory hurdles for the adaptation of this procedure to larger-scale applications, enabling the treatment of higher volumes of waste and facilitating the broader adoption of this innovative approach. Through these steps, RAD-ability will lay the foundation to a more sustainable use and a broader availability of radionuclides in nuclear medicine.