Technical visit of Prague’s LVR-15 nuclear research reactor
The European Observatory on the Supply of Medical Radioisotopes held its 19th annual Plenary Meeting in Prague, on March 28 and 29, 2023 with the participation of Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) and the Euratom Supply Agency.
The Observatory members made a technical visit to the LVR-15 Research Reactor and UJV Rez PET Centre, both used for the development and production of new radiopharmaceuticals.
The aim of the visit was to learn about the facility’s operations and safety measures, and to gain a better understanding of the role that nuclear reactors play in the production of medical isotopes, and in particular the LVR-15 research reactor.
Operated by the Research Centre Řež (CVŘ), the reactor is used for medical radioisotope production, research and development. Its other operations include irradiating material, corrosion tests of materials of nuclear power plants, water chemistry experiments, producing silicon through neutron doping, neutron capture therapy, measuring textures in semi-crystalline metal materials and neutron interferometry.
However, the main role is LVR-15 is to produce medical isotopes for use in nuclear medicine. Medical isotopes are essential for the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders.
Medical isotopes are radiopharmaceuticals that can be produced by nuclear reactors. Production is a complex process that requires strict regulation and safety protocols to ensure the safety of patients, healthcare professionals, and the environment.
The reactors generate these isotopes by inducing nuclear reactions in a controlled environment. The isotopes are produced by bombarding stable isotopes with neutrons, which causes them to become unstable and decay into their radioactive counterparts.
The Rez facility is one of the largest producers of medical isotopes in Europe: it supplies an important percentage of the world’s demand for molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), which is used to produce the most commonly used diagnostic radiopharmaceutical technetium-99m (Tc-99m).
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