A National, Theranostic Cyclotron Resource to Drive Fundamental and Translational Medical Science - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Cyclotron Group at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW) produces radionuclides for medical and
fundamental scientific investigations using a 16 MeV General Electric PETtrace cyclotron. This effort currently
supports $237M of funded research led by UW principal investigators (PIs), an additional $95M in projects led
by a nationally distributed user base, an estimated clinical service revenue of almost $1M per year, and its own
internal portfolio of federal awards of approximately $1.2M per year. The broad base of stakeholders includes
PIs in 12 UW departments and over three dozen clinical research studies. Recent growth in nuclear medicine
applications of cyclotron-produced radionuclides has been dramatic, and demand exceeded production capacity
on multiple occasions in 2022, despite the Cyclotron Group’s prioritization of UW clinical and basic research
needs. To create independent UW production capacity of increasingly promising single photon-emitting
computed tomography (SPECT) and theranostic radionuclides, this proposal will build a new cyclotron facility to
house a commercial 30 MeV cyclotron adjacent to the existing School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH)
biomedical research facilities of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR). This machine will add
capacity in every essential area: standard and radiometal PET radionuclides, theranostic beta and Auger-
emitters, and both clinical and research application-oriented research. The new machine will also enhance the
efficacy of the existing PETtrace cyclotron, focusing each machine’s efforts on its strengths and simultaneously
supporting a nascent UW Institute for Theranostics and Particle Therapy; the Waisman Center’s and Alzheimer’s
Disease Research Center’s portfolio of neurodegenerative imaging trials; the preclinical research of PIs working
on stem cell, genetic, and viral therapy development in the Wisconsin National Primate Center and the Small
Animal Imaging and Radiotherapy Facility; and the United States Department of Energy Isotope Production
Network. The facility will contribute to meeting projected growth associated with FDA approvals of novel
diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. The proposed facility will more than quadruple existing
capacity and add capability to make several new isotopes that are in demand for cutting edge medical diagnostic
and therapeutic procedures and research. These capabilities will support the efforts of the UW SMPH and UW
Health to help patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, cancer, chronic pain, and other conditions.
