Health and medical - research and services

Hot cell production

ANSTO produces more than 80 per cent of Australia's nuclear medicines. This image shows radiopharmaceutical hot cells in action. Photo by Nick Cubbin.

In the clean room

All production at this stage is done under clean conditions, hence the covers needed for staff. Image by Nick Cubbin.

Urgent medical supplies

A trolly carrying urgent medical supplies is off to dispatch. Photo by Nick Cubbin.

Nuclear medicines for urgent transport

A trolly full of Gentech storage units, used to deliver radioisotopes for imaging. Photo by Nick Cubbin.

Gentech units packed for delivery

Urgent medical supplies are packed for immediate shipment. Image by Monde Photo.

Quality Control

Radiopharmaceuticals undergo quality control. Photo by Nick Cubbin.

Urgent transport

Urgent medical supplies are transported to regional hospitals. Image by Monde Photo.

Around 80 per cent of medical isotopes are made in the nuclear reactor. The most commonly used radioisotope, molybdenum-99 (which decays into technetium 99-m), can only be produced economically in the reactor.

Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radiation to provide information about a person's body and the functioning of specific organs, ongoing biological processes, or the disease state of a specific illness. In most cases the information is used by physicians to make accurate diagnosis of the patient's illness. In certain cases radiation can be used to treat diseased organs or tumours.

PET Treatment

PET, or Positron Emission Tomography, is one of the most sophisticated medical imaging technologies available today. The radioactive components of radiopharmaceuticals used in PET procedures are usually made in cyclotrons. At present, PET cameras are located in some hospitals of all major Australian cities.

PET Scan

PET cameras are extremely sensitive. They can be used to detect very early signs of disease and to map how organs such as the brain and heart are functioning. Most radioisotopes used with PET have short half lives. Image courtesy of the University of Sydney.

Nuclear imaging is a technique that uses radioisotopes which emit gamma rays from within the body. To make a radiopharmaceutical, a radioisotope is attached to a pharmaceutical that is taken up by a specific organ, or diseased tissues. The radiopharmaceutical is given orally, injected or inhaled, and is detected by a gamma camera which is used to create a computer-enhanced image that can be viewed by the physician.