National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), and Global Medical Isotope Systems, LLC (GMIS), Henderson, Nev, have announced a new private-public partnership agreement to enable production of radioactive isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).
Known primarily as the management and operations contractor for the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), NSTec is leveraging its traditional national security role with the signing of its first cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). The five-year agreement specifically outlines NSTec’s technical integration, modeling, materials, and design support to GMIS’s mission in the development and deployment of Mo-99 production.
The partners seek to introduce a safe, decentralized, on-demand production system using non-enriched uranium. The imaging isotope, Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), is a decay by-product of Mo-99, and has a half-life of only about six hours. GMIS is currently developing a scalable stand-alone system to produce the critical isotope, allowing for custom deployments to other areas of the country.
NSTec will leverage expertise from its staff of nuclear and health physicists, physics and electronics technicians, as well as offer a variety of radiological materials and an extensive inventory of radiation detection equipment.
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