The government of British Columbia has secured $32 million Canadian ($23.7 million U.S.) in funding for a new cyclotron facility and radiopharmacy laboratory at the University of British Columbia (UBC), according to news reports.
British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix said on January 30 that the funds are intended to increase domestic supplies of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine imaging exams, with the new facility expected to expand British Columbia's capacity from 16,000 PET/CT scans per year to 41,000 per year, CTV News Vancouver reported.
“Increasing our PET CT scan access enables our physicians to accurately stage our cancers, determine appropriate treatment options and treatment planning,” Dix said.
UBC’s Triumf research center will receive $11 million ($8.16 million U.S.) of the funds for advanced research projects and the cyclotron is expected to be in operation by 2026.
