[Science Scope] Homegrown Accelerator Produces Radioisotopes for Cancer Diagnosis... 20 Years of R&D Pays Off

Cyclotron Stabilized After 20 Years of Trial and Error... Isotope Production and Purification Technologies Secured
Supplies to the United States, China and Other Countries... Commercial Production Facilities Remain a Challenge

Editor's Note"Science Scope" is a series that takes an in-depth look at specific scientific and technological developments and analyzes their significance and future prospects.

The domestically developed cyclotron “RFT-30,” installed at the Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk. Developed by Korean researchers, the equipment accelerates protons to a maximum of 30 MeV (megaelectronvolts) and is used in research to produce medical radioisotopes. Provided by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis generated $1.994 billion in revenue in 2025 (approximately KRW 2.64 trillion) from Pluvicto alone, a prostate cancer treatment that uses radioisotopes. Radioisotopes are also used in diagnostic imaging to locate cancer cells in patients. As the market for using radioisotopes in cancer diagnosis and treatment grows, technologies for producing and supplying them reliably are becoming increasingly important.

The Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, is home to a particle accelerator that produces medical radioisotopes. It is the RFT-30 cyclotron, developed by Korean researchers. After more than 20 years of development and stabilization, the researchers secured isotope production and purification technologies and began supplying some isotopes overseas. However, significant hurdles remain between localizing the technology and commercializing it.

A cyclotron is a device that rapidly accelerates protons and directs them at a specific material. It uses a powerful magnetic field to bend the protons' path and an electric field to repeatedly increase their energy. The protons travel along a spiral path that expands outward. Once they gain enough energy to strike a target material, nuclear reactions produce radioisotopes. These isotopes are used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans and in developing new radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and treatment.

For medical radioisotopes, a reliable supply is just as important as production because their radioactivity decreases over time, a process measured by their "half-life." Fluorine-18, widely used in cancer diagnosis, loses half its radioactivity in about 110 minutes, while Gallium-68 does so in about 68 minutes. In other words, the usable radioactivity decreases substantially within just a few hours of production. This means that short-lived isotopes must either be produced close to medical facilities or supplied through a rapid distribution system. That is why domestic production technology and supply chains are essential.

Park Jeonghun, head of the Cyclotron Application Research Laboratory at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, examines research equipment at the Advanced Radiation Research Institute in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk. He explained the development process for stabilizing beams in domestically produced cyclotrons and producing and purifying medical radioisotopes. Provided by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

More Than a Decade to Stabilize the Beam...Trial and Error in Developing a Homegrown Accelerator

Development of the domestically produced cyclotron began in 2005. In 2008, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute succeeded in extracting an accelerated proton beam from the device, and in 2009 it moved the equipment to the Cyclotron Comprehensive Research Building. After repeatedly upgrading and testing the equipment, the research team conducted tests in 2012-2013 to accelerate protons to an energy of 30 MeV (megaelectronvolts) and extract a beam current of 200 microamperes. The tests assessed how much energy could be imparted to the protons and how many could be delivered. Full-scale research operations under the name RFT-30 began in 2014.

The biggest challenge was not only accelerating protons to high energy but also maintaining a beam of consistent intensity over an extended period. A cyclotron contains an ion source, electromagnets, a radio-frequency accelerator, and a vacuum system, among other components. If the magnetic field and radio-frequency conditions are out of alignment, or if the beam's position or intensity fluctuates, it is difficult to produce isotopes reliably.

"Because this was our first prototype, we encountered many problems, including the beam not coming out properly. After more than a decade of in-house development, it now operates reliably," said Park Jeonghun, principal researcher and head of the Cyclotron Application Research Laboratory at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Along with stabilizing the beam, the researchers developed a target cooling system and automated equipment. They built the capability to reliably irradiate target materials with accelerated protons and recover the radioisotopes produced by nuclear reactions. The development of a homegrown cyclotron thus moved beyond getting the equipment to operate and led to the establishment of actual isotope production technology.

Isotope Purity of 99.9%...Supplies to the United States, China and Other Countries

Producing isotopes in a cyclotron does not mean they can be used immediately as medical ingredients. Isotopes produced through nuclear reactions must be separated from target materials and impurities, and brought to the required levels of purity and quality. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute also developed these separation and purification technologies in-house.

Radioisotope automatic separation system developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. It is used to separate and purify radioisotopes produced in a cyclotron from target materials and impurities. Courtesy of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Zirconium-89 (Zr-89) is a key example. The isotope is used in research such as tracking the distribution of cancer-cell-binding antibodies in the body through PET imaging. The research team developed a technology to irradiate an yttrium target with a proton beam and then use chemical separation and purification to obtain zirconium-89 with a purity of about 99.9%.

The production and purification technologies developed by the team have also enabled overseas supply. According to the researchers, they began supplying radioisotopes to the United States and South Africa in 2022, followed by China and Pakistan in 2023 and Thailand in 2024. They continue to supply South Africa and China. Technology developed in the laboratory has thus connected with demand in research and medicine overseas, as well as in Korea.

Radiopharmaceutical Market Expands Globally...Development of a 35 MeV-Class Cyclotron Underway

The market for medicines that use medical radioisotopes is growing rapidly. According to The Business Research Company, the global radiopharmaceutical market is projected to expand from $7.3 billion in 2025 (approximately KRW 9.68 trillion) to $13.68 billion in 2030 (approximately KRW 18.14 trillion). In addition to cancer diagnosis, targeted therapies that deliver radiation directly to cancer cells are emerging as a new growth driver.

Novartis's Pluvicto recorded a 43% increase in revenue in 2025 from the previous year. Another radiopharmaceutical, Lutathera, also saw revenue rise 13% over the same period, reaching $816 million (approximately KRW 1.082 trillion). Radioisotope-based treatments are translating into actual revenue growth. Lutetium-177, used in both treatments, is produced mainly in nuclear reactors. Depending on the type, medical radioisotopes are produced at different facilities, including nuclear reactors and cyclotrons, each of which supplies materials needed for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Overseas companies lead the medical cyclotron equipment market. Belgium's IBA estimates that 45 to 55 new medical cyclotrons are sold worldwide each year. GE HealthCare of the United States and Sumitomo Heavy Industries of Japan are also major suppliers. Although medical cyclotrons are in use in Korea, imported equipment accounts for a large share. A domestic survey published in 2025 found that of the 51 cyclotrons installed between 1985 and 2023, 18 were made by GE HealthCare and eight by IBA. The development of the RFT-30 in Jeongeup is significant because it established independent accelerator technology in a market dominated by imported equipment.

Competition extends beyond equipment sales. Along with cyclotrons, IBA provides target systems, separation and purification equipment, and services for building production facilities. Its business therefore includes not only the technology to manufacture equipment but also the capability to equip customers with the facilities and operating systems they need to produce isotopes.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is also pursuing the development of a next-generation 35 MeV-class cyclotron, which can accelerate protons to higher energies than the existing RFT-30. The goal is to increase the production yield of specific radioisotopes. "We found that production yields increase at the 35 MeV level, so we proposed 35 MeV as a commercialization model," Park said.

Applications in Space and Nuclear Power...Commercial Production Facilities Remain a Challenge

Particle accelerator technologies, including cyclotrons, are used beyond the medical field. Protons or neutrons can be used to simulate the radiation environment in space and assess the durability of satellite electronic components, as well as to study the properties of materials used in nuclear power plants. Technologies developed in the course of accelerator development, including electromagnets, radio-frequency systems, and beam control, can also be applied to developing equipment for other industries.

A researcher at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute manufactures the radiopharmaceutical Cyrokitty Injection in a hot cell, a radiation-shielded facility. Photo provided by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

However, developing research equipment and operating it commercially are different challenges. The RFT-30 in Jeongeup is a research cyclotron used for a range of research projects. Although it has produced and purified isotopes and supplied them overseas, it is not a dedicated facility for the continuous, large-scale production of medical isotopes. A commercial facility requires a system capable of reliably producing consistent quantities at a consistent level of quality.

More than 20 years have passed since development of a homegrown cyclotron began. Korea has built up technological capabilities spanning proton beam control, radioisotope production and purification, and overseas supply. The next test will be whether it can move from research equipment to commercial production facilities.

"The most urgent task ahead is to build a cyclotron facility capable of operating commercial-scale mass production," Park said.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.