A new programme led by Laurentis Energy Partners and BWXT Medical to produce the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) in a commercial operating nuclear reactor for what Laurentis said would be the first time has received regulatory approval of the necessary licence from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

The CNSC approved an amendment to the operating licence for the Darlington nuclear power station, owned and operated by Laurentis’s parent company, Ontario Power Generation.

Mo-99 is a much-needed medical isotope used in over 40 million procedures each year, helping to detect illnesses like cancer and heart disease and diagnose various medical conditions.

Mo-99 decays to technetium-99 (Tc-99m), one of the most prevalently used diagnostic imaging agents in nuclear medicine. As such, Mo-99 is an essential radionuclide in the nuclear medicine supply chain.