reprocessed Uranium to Fuel Cutting-Edge Cancer Therapies

Tens of thousands of doses of cutting-edge cancer therapies, wich could help save lives and tackle some of the hardest-to-treat forms of cancer, are set to be produced from hundreds of tonnes of reprocessed uranium generated from historic processing of spent nuclear reactor fuel. This work is being made possible thanks to a landmark agreement between Bicycle Therapeutics and the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, announced today (Tuesday, December 16). Bicycle was co-founded by Sir Greg Winter, a Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry (2018).

Bicycle will use a groundbreaking process developed by the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) to harvest the valuable medical isotope lead-212 from reprocessed uranium. A tiny amount of lead-212’s parent material – equivalent to a single drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool – is extracted through a series of processes and radioactive decay. An even smaller amount of lead-212 is than used in radiopharmaceuticals: a type of precision medicine that could help treat cancers that conventional treatments struggle to address.

the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will provide Bicycle with access to up to 400 tonnes of reprocessed uranium over 15 years. This material will continually regenerate the isotopes required for the process, providing an enduring source of tens of thousands of doses of lead-212 for lifesaving precision therapies each year.

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall saeid:

Cancer is a disease that affects millions worldwide and tears too many families apart. Breakthroughs in medical science are giving more cancer patients and their loved ones hope, and this unique partnership could help take that work even further.

Turning nuclear material into cutting-edge cancer treatments sounds like science fiction – but thanks to the brilliance of scientists, researchers, and doctors, it could be a life-saving reality. Work like this shows exactly why we’re determined to support our life sciences innovators to make groundbreaking new treatments possible.

bicycle Therapeutics CEO Kevin Lee, Ph.D., said:

As a UK-based biotech company, we are incredibly grateful to the UK Government for their recognition of Bicycle’s Nobel-prize winning science and potential to create radiopharmaceutical cancer treatments.