HTA Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), has successfully achieved domestic large-scale production of the radioisotope Germanium-68 using a 30 MeV proton cyclotron. All quality indicators meet commercial radionuclide standards, marking China's first capability for independent, stable, and large-scale production of Germanium-68—an important step forward for precision cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Germanium-68 is the parent nuclide of Gallium-68, which is produced through its nuclear decay. Gallium-68–labeled radiopharmaceuticals are used in nuclear medicine for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of tumors, significantly supporting clinical decision-making. Globally, several Gallium-68 drugs have already been approved for cancer diagnosis, while 13 Gallium-68 drugs are currently in clinical development in China, highlighting the broad application prospects for Germanium-68 worldwide.

Only a few countries have mastered large-scale Germanium-68 production technology. Building on its expertise in accelerator-based isotope production, HTA has independently developed two target systems—capsule targets and alloy targets—and overcome key technical challenges in target fabrication, irradiation, separation and purification, and automated equipment. As a result, both production routes now support automated, large-scale manufacturing, with each batch of Germanium-68 exceeding 3.7 GBq in output and achieving over 99.9% nuclear purity, meeting international advanced standards.