Evaluation of the production amount of ²²⁵Ac and its uncertainty through the ²²⁶Ra(n,2n) reaction in the experimental fast reactor Joyo

ABSTRACT

²²⁵Ac is a promising nuclide for targeted alpha therapy. At present, the nuclide is mainly extracted from ²²⁹Th generators, but its total radioactivity of the world is only 63 GBq/y. Therefore, it is unclear whether this method alone can meet future global medical demand. In this study, we analyzed the production amount of ²²⁵Ac and its uncertainty due to the neutron flux and nuclear reaction cross-sections while analyzing the generation process of ²²⁵Ac using the experimental fast reactor Joyo operated by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The analysis showed that irradiating 1 g of ²²⁶Ra for 45 d at the core center of Joyo can produce 15.4 ± 6.2 GBq of ²²⁵Ac. Therefore, with six irradiations per year (45 d × 6 = 270 d/year), Joyo can produce 55.3 to 129.1 GBq of ²²⁵Ac, equivalent to 86 to 200% of the current world supply.

KEYWORDS:

• RI production
• targeted alpha therapy
• ²²⁵Ac
• fast reactor
• Joyo
• ²²⁶Ra
• fast neutron
• (n,2n)
• nuclear date
• uncertainty analysis

Acknowledgments

This research includes some of the results of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan National Project for Medical RI production using domestic nuclear infrastructures for self-sufficient supply.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [JPMXD0220354346].