Nuclear medicines are radioactive isotopes that are used to treat patients. You can read more about isotopes, what they are and how they behave in "The Basics" section of this web site.
Radioactive isotopes are used in medicine in three distinct ways.
1. Radioactive isotopes can be injected into a patient, and their emitted energy can then be captured on film. The resulting image is an important diagnostic tool.
2. Gamma rays emitted from a radioactive source can be directed onto a tumour, destroying the cancerous cells.
3. Radioactive isotopes can be manufactured into drugs. Once injected into a patient, the drug will accumulate in a certain part of the body, such as a tumour. As the isotopes decay and release energy, that energy destroys the tumour.
NRU is a versatile facility and produces a range of different medical isotopes used to treat and diagnose more than 5,000,000 people around the world each year.