Plans to build the UK's first nuclear medicine facility in north Wales producing cancer fighting substances has been announced by the Welsh Government. The laboratory would produce medical radioisotopes which are critical to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer as they are used during scans and in radiotherapy.
The UK has no domestic supply of the majority of radioisotopes, relying on imports from European facilities. A number of sites have closed and it is believed that by 2030 the UK could have no medical radioisotopes, with a significant impact on patient care.
The initiative aims to make Wales a “global centre of excellence” for medical radioisotope production in the UK over the next 60 to 70 years, improving the Welsh economy and creating high and low-skilled jobs over several decades.
