TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY
Rapid Production and Separation of Ta-185 Radioisotope
A novel separation system for Ta-185 that allows for rapid separation, which opens up possibilities
Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this rapid separation of Ta-185 radioisotopes technology. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses and ultimately an improved way of life for the American people.
Overview: Short-lived radioisotopes are important for any application aiming to limit a radiological dose. Most radiopharmaceuticals have half-lives of several days as the time required between production, separation, drug incorporation, and delivery to the patient can take several days to a week. INL’s technology would accelerate this process by producing the isotopes on-demand at the point of use. By introducing a fast separation method, the total isotope preparation time would be reduced drastically to only ~1-2 hours.
Description: INL’s technology utilizes nuclear instrumentation and a modular rapid chemical separation system developed at INL to produce ultra-short-lived radionuclides such as Ta-185, in-house and on-demand. The key features of the method are production of Ta-185 via irradiation of W-186 with a linear accelerator, an optimized irradiation method for maximum Ta-185 production and rapid chemical separation technique utilizing a stream-lined rapid chromatographic isotope separation system (S-RCISS) to quickly separate and isolate Ta-185.
Benefits:
- Novel separation system drastically surpassing rapidity of current systems.
- The rapid separation allows on-site and on-demand production of radioisotopes.
Applications:
- Radioisotope applications.
- Opens up a new market for ultra-short-lived radioisotope applications.
Development Status: TRL 2. This technology is an early-stage concept and needs further testing.
IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/203,858, “Methods for Producing Radionuclides Using Accelerator Bremsstrahlung Irradiation and Rapid Chromatographic Isotope Separation,” BEA Docket No. 1252
Additional Information
INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.
Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.
Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.
