At the Hevesy Laboratory, located at DTU Risø Campus facing Roskilde Fjord, five meters underground, two new cyclotrons are placed in a 100 square meter bunker facility. It adjoins the existing radionuclide production facility.
Unlike nuclear research reactors – which also produce radionuclides – cyclotrons do not use nuclear fuel and are not subject to the same safety and security considerations as reactors. Still, the installation of the two new cyclotrons called for careful planning:
"It is a technically complex installation which presents a lot of challenges to ensure the safety of the staff at all times. You must be sure that the walls are thick enough, and that the machine is placed correctly. Plus, we are also placed next to Roskilde fjord, so you need to make sure that the basement doesn't get flooded," says Mattia Siragusa, head of the Hevesy Laboratory, which is part of DTU Health Technology.
In high demand
Medical imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET), which is commonly used for detection of cancer and evaluation of cancer treatment, rely on cyclotron-produced radionuclides. Which is what Hevesy's staff delivers on a daily basis to hospitals in the Zealand region of Denmark.
"We produce up to 20 standard radionuclides today, and we expect to at least double our production capacity with the arrival of two new cyclotrons," says Mattia Siragusa.
PET scans can help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of your tissues and organs. It uses a radioactive drug called a tracer to show atypical metabolic activity. The tracer is most often injected into a vein on your hand or arm. The tracer will then collect into areas of your body that have higher levels of metabolic or biochemical activity. This often pinpoints the location of the disease.
At Næstved Hospital alone, about 4000 PET scans are carried out on a yearly basis.
Additional cyclotrons allow more research
With just one cyclotron, the researchers at the Hevesy Laboratory were limited in conducting research activities, since most of the production of radionuclides were allocated to cancer patients' PET scans.
"To push the boundaries of technology in radionuclide production, researchers conduct experiments, that could potentially break the cyclotron, which then would require the cyclotron to be shut down in order to be fixed. And as a researcher you are really not allowed that, when there is only one machine. You don't want to promise a patient a treatment for diagnosis and not deliver. That would be highly unethical," explains Mattia Siragusa.
Now, that the Hevesy Laboratory have two big cyclotrons plus a smaller cyclotron available for use, the researchers can more freely pursue innovative projects, that can advance the development of radionuclides for diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Therapeutic radionuclides
One such researcher, who is excited about the new possibilities and seeks to improve patients' treatment and healthcare, is senior radiochemist Kristina Søborg Pedersen:
"I am really looking forward to be able to conduct advanced experiments and especially to explore therapeutic radionuclides further. There is the possibility to combine diagnosis and therapy by applying a diagnostic tracer to get very precise images from the PET scan and using the tracer with a therapeutic radionuclide to provide very accurate treatment of the cancer," elaborates Kristina Søborg Pedersen.
Two years ago, DTU received a donation of 13.5 million kroner from the John and Birthe Meyers Foundation for new cyclotrons. On November 14, 2023, an official inauguration, which included a tour, marked the opening of the new underground facility.
