Eckert & Ziegler AG has entered into a long-term cooperation agreement with the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (-stav jadern- fyziky, UJF) to produce the alpha emitter Actinium-225. The agreement envisions Eckert & Ziegler to provide the UJF research center with several million euros for investments in equipment and hot cells, as well as radium-226 as a starting material for experiments and irradiations. In return, the Eckert & Ziegler group gets exclusive access to the capacities of a pilot unit being built within the next two years close to Prague and joint rights to the process steps developed for a large-scale Ac-225 commercial production.

Actinium-225 is used as an active ingredient in cancer treatment. The radioisotope emits powerful, high-energy cascade of alpha particles with short penetration depths that enable precise treatment of tumor cells, including difficult-to-target micro metastases, with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissue. For this purpose, Actinium-225 is combined with a suitable carrier (e.g. antibody or peptide) that specifically binds to cancer cells to selectively target them.

Currently, Actinium-255-based radiopharmaceuticals are being tested in many clinical indications, including prostate tumors, colorectal cancer, and leukemia. Specialists expect the demand for Actinium-225 to increase exponentially over the next decade.