The Research Institute of Nuclear Industry Physical and Chemical Engineering (IPCE), a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), recently successfully acquired Nickel-64 isotope with over 99 percent abundance per gram, marking that China has become a global leader in the research and development of new-type stable isotope.

The extraction of Nickel-64 isotope requires special separation techniques to elevate the enrichment level of 36-neutron atoms to high abundance. Additionally, the materials used in the Nickel-64 isotope enrichment process are highly unstable, which poses strict requirements for relevant facilities and techniques.

Right now, there are only several countries which have mastered Nickel-64 isotope extraction technology. Therefore, the price of Nickel-64 isotope is extremely high, equivalent to that of several hundreds of gold by weight.

Nickel-64 is the precursor nuclide of radioactive nuclear copper-64 isotope. Copper-64 is a new PET imaging isotope with a half-life of 12.7 hours, which is featured with high clarity, a wide-scanning time window, and reliable supply. Copper-64-labeled drugs have been widely used in the diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors, hypoxic tumor and Alzheimer's disease.

The IPCE has further strengthened its cooperation with C-Ray Pharmaceutical (Chengdu) Co., Ltd and employed the latter's automatic production facilities and nuclear isotope research strength in the production of copper-64 isotope with nickel-64, achieving an EOB capacity of 2Ci.

The quality indicators have surpassed both international and domestic standards, filling a domestic gap in the self-sufficient supply system for key medical isotopes.