The 2015 Long Range Plan for the Doe-Np Isotope Program
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MEETING ISOTOPE NEEDS AND CAPTURING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE: THE 2015 LONG RANGE PLAN FOR THE DOE-NP ISOTOPE PROGRAM NSAC ISOTOPES SUBCOMMITTEE JULY 2015 Meeting Isotope Needs and Capturing Opportunities for the Future: The 2015 Long Range Plan for the DOE-NP Isotope Program NSAC Isotopes Subcommittee July 20, 2015 About the Cover: The cover represents the varied facets of the DOE Isotope Program. The backbone of the program is the chemical elements, which come with varying atomic weights called isotopes. The lower part of the cover shows a chart of the isotopes where each row is an element and each square in the row represents an isotope. The color code is by half-life. The cover illustrates the wide range and importance of isotopes to the Nation, with examples from biology and medicine, physical sciences and chemistry, and national security and engineering. Illustrated at the center right are two keys to the program: the skilled workforce and continuing advances in technology, (epitomized in this photo by a new science user facility, FRIB, under construction). Upper right: 124I PET images of a patient before and after the administration of the cancer drug selumetinib, which causes increased uptake of radio-iodine into metastatic thyroid cancer. In this theranostic isotope pair, increased uptake of the 124I provides the PET image documentation of the beneficial effect, while increased uptake of 131I kills the cancer cells. Upper left: Image of the sample of 249Bk, made at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the experiment that discovered element 117. Left middle: The isotope 3He is use in portal monitors to detect illicit nuclear material in trucks crossing the U.S. border. Center: 68Ga DOTATOC PET scan illustrating radiopharmaceutical uptake in several metastatic tumor sites. Cover art by Erin O’Donnell. The images of the scientist and the facility are courtesy of BNL and MSU, respectively. The attributions for the other images can be found in their captions where they appear (along with more detailed explanations) in the body of this document. 1 Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter 2: The DOE Isotope Program ......................................................................................... 15 2.A. Origins and History .......................................................................................................... 15 2.B. Today (2009 to Present) ................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 3: Uses of Isotopes ......................................................................................................... 21 3.A: Biology, Medicine, and Pharmaceuticals ......................................................................... 21 3.B: Physical Sciences and Engineering .................................................................................. 27 3.C: National Security and Other Applications ........................................................................ 38 Chapter 4: Research Opportunities Using Isotopes ..................................................................... 45 4.A. Research Opportunities with Isotopes in Biology, Medicine and Pharmaceuticals .......... 45 4.B. Research Opportunities with Isotopes in Physical Sciences and Engineering .................. 54 4.C. Research Opportunities with Isotopes for National Security and Other Applications ...... 60 Chapter 5: The Scope and the Scientific/Technical Challenges for the Isotope Program ........... 67 Chapter 6: Sources of Isotopes for the Nation ............................................................................. 77 6.A: High Purity Stable and Radioactive Isotope Mass-Separation Capability ....................... 77 6.B: Accelerator-Based Isotope Capabilities ........................................................................... 84 6.C: Reactor Based Isotope Capabilities .................................................................................. 95 6.D: Isotope Production as a By-product of Other Operations ................................................ 99 Chapter 7: Research and Development for Isotope Production ................................................. 103 7.A: Stable and Radioactive Isotope Separation R&D .......................................................... 103 7.B: Accelerator Production R&D ......................................................................................... 104 7.C: Reactor Production R&D ............................................................................................... 105 7.D: Other Production-Related R&D ..................................................................................... 106 Chapter 8: Trained Workforce and Education ........................................................................... 107 Chapter 9: Program Operations ................................................................................................. 112 9.A: The Program in 2009, Its Evolution Since Then, and Its Status Today ......................... 112 9.B: Evaluation of the Program and Its Evolution Since 2009 .............................................. 115 9.C: Recommendations for Its Continued Enhancement ....................................................... 118 Chapter 10: Budget Scenarios .................................................................................................... 121 References: .................................................................................................................................. 126 Appendices:................................................................................................................................. 132 Appendix 1: The NSAC Charge to NSACI ........................................................................... 132 2 Appendix 2: Membership of NSAC Isotope Subcommittee .................................................. 135 Appendix 3: Agendas of Meetings I-III of NSACI ................................................................ 136 Appendix 4: List of Federal Agencies Contacted by NSACI ................................................ 140 Appendix 5: List of Professional Societies Contacted by NSACI ......................................... 141 Appendix 6: List of Industry and Trade Groups Contacted by NSACI ................................. 142 Appendix 7: Details about Isotope Stockpiles and the Isotopes Available from them. ......... 143 Appendix 8: Stable Isotope Demand (NIDC 2011) ............................................................... 148 Appendix 9: Response of the Isotope Program to the Recommendations of the 2009 NSACI Reports ........................................................................................ 152 3 Sidebars SIDEBAR 1: WHAT IS AN ISOTOPE? .................................................................................................................................... 16 SIDEBAR 2: A CENTURY OF BENEFITS OF ISOTOPES – UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD, SECURING OUR SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT, ENHANCING OUR INDUSTRIES, AND IMPROVING OUR HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE. .................................................. 17 223 SIDEBAR 3: RA, AN ALPHA THERAPY SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................ 26 SIDEBAR 4: PRODUCTION OF THE HEAVIEST ELEMENTS USING ACTINIDE TARGETS ...................................................................... 30 SIDEBAR 5: ISOTOPES – THE CRITICAL ELEMENT TO COST EFFECTIVE OIL & GAS EXPLORATION ..................................................... 39 3 SIDEBAR 6: ENSURING THE SUPPLY OF HE HAS BEEN IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNITY ................................. 41 SIDEBAR 7: THERANOSTICS AND THE TRANSITION TO PERSONALIZED MEDICINE ......................................................................... 48 SIDEBAR 8: THE VALUE OF ISOTOPIC STANDARDS IN NUCLEAR FORENSIC ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 62 99 SIDEBAR 9: MO, A STATUS REPORT ................................................................................................................................ 69 SIDEBAR 10: FOREIGN SUPPLY OF KEY ISOTOPES .................................................................................................................... 71 82 SIDEBAR 11: SR: A CASE HISTORY FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION. STATUS UPDATE – 2014 ............................................... 74 SIDEBAR 12: SMALL-SCALE ISOTOPE SEPARATION AT IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY DEVELOPED BY THE NUCLEAR FORENSICS COMMUNITY .................................................................................................................... 81 SIDEBAR 13: DOE SPONSORED SUMMER SCHOOLS IN NUCLEAR AND RADIOCHEMISTRY, ACADEMIC CENTERS AND THE FUTURE WORKFORCE ....................................................................................................................... 109 SIDEBAR 14: EVOLUTION OF THE ISOTOPE PROGRAM............................................................................................................ 116 List of Tables TABLE 1: CHARACTERISTICS OF THERAPEUTIC ISOTOPES ........................................................................................................