UK to Turn Used Nuclear Fuel into Groundbreaking Cancer Treatments

The UK is pioneering a new frontier in cancer care by recycling used nuclear fuel to produce life-saving precision medicines. Backed by £9.9m from the Innovate UK Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme and £8.9m from industry, a new initiative led by the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) will harness lead-212 – a radionuclide derived from nuclear waste – to develop Targeted Alpha Therapies.

These radiopharmaceuticals selectively destroy cancer cells with minimal damage to healthy tissue, offering new hope for patients with previously untreatable cancers. UKNNL’s innovative process extracts minute quantities of lead-212 from recycled material, creating a sustainable supply to support large-scale clinical use.

With the UK’s significant reserves of lead-212, this initiative aims to establish global leadership in nuclear medicine, combining sustainability with cutting-edge science. The project unites seven consortium partners to build the infrastructure needed for clinical development and commercialisation of these novel treatments.