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Nuclear @ McMaster

Medical Isotope Production

McMaster Nuclear Reactor produces a wide range of radioisotopes for many applications and is currently the largest producer of medical isotope Iodine-125.

MNR is one of the world’s leading suppliers of I-125, which is used in nuclear medicine for the treatment of various cancers. Other medical isotopes are produced at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor, along with various research and technical grade isotopes.

MNR is proud to be one of the world’s leading suppliers of Iodine-125. Our I-125 is prepared from high purity Xenon-124 to meet the most rigorous quality standards. All our medical isotopes are outlined in the table below.

Isotope Production Route Half-life Specific activity Radionuclidic Purity Radiochemical Purity Concentration
Iodine-125 124Xe(n,y)125Xe → 125I 59.7d ∼ 17 Ci/mg Cs-137 < 0.0001% Iodine > 99% 800-1200 mCi/mL
Lutetium-177 176Lu(n,y)177Lu 6.7d > 1.4 Ci/mg > 99.9% N/A 100 mCi/mL
Rhenium-186 185Re(n,y)186Re 3.7d ∼ 50 Ci/mg > 99% >95% [186ReO4] 100 mCi/mL