Actinium-225: A beacon of hope

This video provides an in-depth exploration of the production process of extracting actinium-225 through the thorium-229 cow material at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
About actinium-225: Discovered in 1947 by a team at Argonne National Laboratory and an independent Canadian research team, actinium-225 (Ac-225) undergoes alpha decay to francium-221 with a half-life of 10 days. For this reason, the isotope is being evaluated as an ideal candidate for use in medical applications. Alpha-emitting isotopes show great promise for cancer treatment because of their short path length and high energy transfer of radiation. Typically, the range is only that of a few cell diameters, making these isotopes highly effective at destroying cancer cells and leaving healthy cells untouched. Many radiolabeled products that incorporate Ac-225 are currently being used in numerous clinical trials for the treatment of cancers including prostate cancer, myeloid leukemia, and breast cancer.
The U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Program (DOE IP) identified Ac-225 as a critical isotope because of its high demand and limited availability. Over the last 10+ years, the DOE IP has provided funding and facilities to aid in the research and development of new methods for creating the isotope. Learn more at isotopes.gov/i...