News release overview
Hitachi, Tohoku University and Kyoto University Become World's First to Establish Technology for Highly Efficient, High-quality Production of Actinium-225, a Material Required for Internal Radiation Therapy Called TAT
Helping to expedite the commercialization of a type of radiation therapy that is effective against cancer which has spread widely through body
Figure 1 Principle of targeted alpha therapy(TAT)
Tokyo, October 18, 2021 − Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501, "Hitachi"), Tohoku University and Kyoto University have become the world's first (1) to establish technology for the highly efficient and high-quality production of actinium-225 (225Ac), a substance required for a form of radiation therapy known as targeted alpha therapy (TAT). TAT is a new cancer therapy which combines a substance that emits alpha particles which destroy cancer cells with a compound that selectively accumulates in cancer cells. The combined alpha-emitting agent is administered to a patient to attack cancer cells within the body (Figure 1). It is known to be effective against forms of cancers that are difficult to treat with existing methods of treatment, including cancer cells that are spread widely through the body, and its practical applications are eagerly awaited. The three-party team has now established technology that enables production of high-quality 225Ac in an efficient manner without producing impurities, which are usually difficult to separate, by using an electron linear accelerator (2) with radium-226 (226Ra) as a source material.
Hitachi, Tohoku University, and Kyoto University will continue research and development efforts to bring this production technology into commercial use, to help put TAT into clinical practice and ultimately improve cancer patients' quality of life (QoL). In addition, Hitachi is set to start a study to evaluate the applicability (3) of 225Ac produced using this new technology in pharmaceutical products in October 2021 in collaboration with the National Cancer Center Japan. Hitachi makes effort to pursue research and development that promotes the Security & Safety (healthy and comfortable life for each individual) of society.
(1) World's first as a technology that uses an electron linear accelerator to produce 225Ac through a photonuclear reaction of 226Ra as a source material.
(2) A type of linear particle accelerator that accelerates electrons to produce a high-energy beam.
(3) An evaluation of levels of efficiency and stability of 225Ac in being bound to drug.
