Brain tumour patients around the world to benefit from partnership between Bruce Power and Nordion

Patients from around the world, who are suffering from brain tumours, will benefit from an innovative partnership announced between two Ontario-based companies.

 

Bruce Power and Nordion have teamed up on a new initiative that will see medical-grade, ‘High Specific Activity (HSA)' Cobalt harvested from the four Bruce B reactors. This partnership will provide a stable supply of HSA for decades to come.

 

“HSA Cobalt is at the forefront of innovative new medical technologies, so we’re excited to be part of the supply chain for this life-saving radiation therapy,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s president and chief executive officer.

"As a long-time supplier of Cobalt-60, we have long been helping to keep our hospitals safe for our most vulnerable citizens. Now, with HSA Cobalt being harvested from our Bruce B reactors, we will have a greater impact on human health across the globe.”

 

HSA Cobalt is used worldwide for alternative treatments to traditional brain surgery and radiation therapy for the treatment of complex brain conditions through a specialized, non-invasive "knife." This innovative tool uses gamma radiation to focus 200 microscopic beams of radiation on a tumour or other target. Although each individual beam has little effect on the brain tissue surrounding the tumour, where the beam intersects, a strong dose of radiation is delivered to the site, minimizing damage to healthy tissue and lowering side effects compared to traditional therapy, in some cases.

 

For more than six decades, Nordion’s supply of medical-grade Cobalt has come primarily from the National Research Universal (NRU) reactors at Chalk River, Ontario.

 

“Recognizing that in 18 months the NRU reactor will reach its end-of-life, it was critical to find another source of HSA for these life-saving operations,” said Ian Downie, Nordion’s general manager, gamma technologies. “The HSA Cobalt produced by Bruce Power will help fill this gap.”

 

Pierre Pilon, senior vice-president, Bruce B, said it’s a tremendous honour to be part of a solution to provide medical isotopes for Canada.

 

“Our engineering teams here have worked very hard to ensure there is absolutely no impact or changes in how we operate and maintain our units,” Pilon said. “Our CANDU reactors are vastly different than a research reactor, but we are looking at innovative ways like this to help with isotope production when NRU is shut down.”

 

Reza Moridi, Ontario minister of research, innovation and science, as well as the MPP for Richmond Hill, said he is pleased with this important news for the nuclear industry and for health care in Ontario and around the world.

 

“This partnership between Bruce Power and Nordion, to create a new, long-term supply of HSA Cobalt-60, has the dual distinction of saving the lives and boosting Ontario’s economy,” he said.

 

Kim Rudd, parliamentary secretary to Canada’s minister of natural resources and MP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, said this collaboration shows how Canada’s nuclear industry can deliver innovative health care solutions for people in Canada and around the world.

 

“Our government recognizes the nuclear industry as a national asset which accounts for about 30,000 quality jobs across the country, a key source of low-carbon energy and a driver of innovation, not only in electrical power generation, but also in fields such as health care, food safety, security and materials testing,” she said.

 

Kathryn McGarry, Ontario minister of natural resources and MPP for Cambridge, said, as a former critical care nurse, she understands the positive impacts medical isotopes can have on a patient’s health.

 

“With the partnership between these two Ontario companies, patients can breathe easy knowing they have a secure, reliable source of HSA Cobalt to help families across this province and beyond with their health care needs,” she said.

 

Bruce Power will continue to supply Nordion with Cobalt-60, which Nordion uses to sterilize 40 per cent of the world’s single-use medical devices, such as gloves, masks, syringes and much more. Learn more about how Bruce Power and Nordion are positively impacting the medical industry and keeping hospitals safe across the world by downloading the publication Clean Nuclear Power Safe Hospitals or visit www.cleannuclearpowersafehospitals.com.