Actineer Uses Sustainable Radium-226 Recycling to Scale Actinium-225 Production

Actineer has completed a closed-loop process for recycling Radium-226, the precursor used to produce Actinium-225, creating a more repeatable route toward commercial-scale supply of the medical isotope used in targeted alpha cancer therapies. The company said recovered Radium-226 can be purified and returned to production across multiple cycles without reducing product quality or yield, lowering dependence on constrained global inventories while reducing waste.

 

The milestone addresses a central bottleneck in the radiopharmaceutical market. Actinium-225 is in growing demand because it can deliver highly targeted radiation to cancer cells, but limited precursor availability and complex production methods have restricted supply. By reclaiming Radium-226 rather than treating it as a single-use production input, Actineer is developing a more resource-efficient system that could improve cost stability, production planning, and batch-to-batch consistency for drug developers.

 

Actineer uses a cyclotron-based process in which Radium-226 is exposed to protons to generate Actinium-225. The company says this route requires less precursor material per unit of isotope produced, limits losses caused by radioactive decay, and can deliver the radionuclidic purity needed for clinical applications. Combining this production method with repeated Radium-226 recovery is intended to increase usable output while reducing material requirements and waste generation across the production cycle.

 

Read more: Forge Industries Raises $3.85 Million to Turn Waste Into Coal-Replacing Fuel

 

The company is a joint venture between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich, bringing together CNL’s Radium-226 inventory and nuclear science capabilities with ITM’s medical isotope production and distribution network. The partners are working toward routine commercial-scale production designed for Good Manufacturing Practice compliance, giving radiopharmaceutical developers a more predictable source of Actinium-225 from early clinical development through potential global product launches.

 

The recycling process also strengthens the environmental case for expanding isotope production. Medical radioisotope manufacturing requires careful management of radioactive materials, and a system that repeatedly recovers the main precursor can reduce both new material demand and the volume of waste associated with alternative approaches. The result is a more circular production model within a field where supply security and material stewardship are closely connected.

 

Actineer was established in 2023 and is also pursuing a longer-term Actinium Production Facility in Canada. The successful recycling demonstration gives the company a technical foundation for scaling output before that larger facility is completed. The next test will be whether the process maintains the same quality, yield, and reliability under continuous commercial production while meeting the regulatory standards required for global radiopharmaceutical supply.