China's Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) — part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences — has reported a milestone in domestic medical isotope production. The core assembly of an accelerator device for the IP-SAFE project has been installed on site, marking a key step toward the world’s first demonstration facility that uses a superconducting linear accelerator to produce alpha-emitting medical isotopes at scale.
The IP-SAFE platform is designed to address a pressing shortage of two medically valuable isotopes: actinium-225 (Ac-225) and radium-223 (Ra-223). Both emit alpha particles that can be harnessed in targeted alpha therapy, a cutting-edge cancer treatment that delivers highly energetic radiation to destroy tumour cells while limiting damage to surrounding tissue. Clinicians and drug developers around the world have been constrained by limited, irregular supplies of these nuclides.
The project leverages IMP’s expertise in high-current superconducting linacs, high-power targets and isotope separation. Accelerator-driven production offers a complementary route to conventional reactor-based methods, potentially enabling higher yields, more controlled production runs and a steadier supply chain for clinical and research needs. The institute says the demonstration device will aim for scaled production of Ac-225 and Ra-223 that are currently in global shortfall.
If the demonstration succeeds, it would be important both for patients and for China’s biotechnology ambitions. For oncologists experimenting with actinium-labelled molecules — notably in prostate and haematological malignancies — a reliable source of Ac-225 could accelerate clinical trials and wider adoption of targeted alpha therapies. For Ra-223, which is already used in licensed treatments for bone metastases, domestic scale-up could reduce reliance on imports and stabilise hospital supply.
Beyond health-care effects, the project has strategic resonance. Building a homegrown production chain for high-end medical isotopes reduces dependencies in a longer list of critical medical supplies and showcases China’s maturing capabilities in accelerator technology and radiochemical separation. Those capabilities have civilian benefits across imaging, therapy and industry, but they also sit alongside sensitive areas of nuclear technology, which will keep regulators and international observers attentive.
Next steps for IP-SAFE will include commissioning the superconducting linac, beam tests, target irradiation trials and demonstration of chemical separation processes to produce clinical-grade nuclides. Practical challenges remain: handling very high-power targets, ensuring radiological safety, meeting pharmaceutical purity and regulatory standards, and scaling production reliably enough to meet clinical demand.
For patients and clinicians, the immediate significance will depend on how quickly the device moves from installation to certified production. If the timeline holds, the facility could help stabilise global supplies of two isotopes that are shaping a new generation of cancer treatments, while giving China a stronger position in the international medical-isotope market.