China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has completed the full production process for the emerging medical isotope terbium-161 at the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). The team has successfully produced a high-purity sample of 100 millicuries with 99.9% radionuclidic purity and 99% radiochemical purity. This marks a major breakthrough in CNNC's ability to control the radionuclidic purity of terbium-161 and has established a solid foundation for the domestic production of high-purity terbium-161. The separation and purification process also set new domestic benchmarks for recovery and impurity removal.

Terbium-161 is a next-generation theranostic radioisotope that combines diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy. It delivers higher local radiation doses to tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue, showing significant clinical value and potential in the radiotherapy of small tumors, and has strong potential for treating neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer, and other cancers.

Producing medical-grade terbium-161 requires exceptionally high radionuclidic and radiochemical purity. While production methods for terbium-161 have been developed internationally, recovery efficiency and impurity removal remain key technical challenges.

To overcome these challenges, researchers at CIAE's institute of radiochemistry adopted an Integrated Product Development (IPD) approach to establish the complete production process, achieving the targeted performance in chemical recovery and impurity removal.

Going forward, CIAE will continue to optimize the production process and advance large-scale manufacturing and technology commercialization, supporting the sustainable development of China's nuclear medicine industry.