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Calgary is getting its first cyclotron to expedite medical testing and cancer treatments.
A cyclotron speeds up tiny charged particles and shoots them at a target to make radioactive materials for medical scans and treatments.
Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Adriana LaGrange says Edmonton has two cyclotrons and that a third in Calgary will speed up testing, which is expected to triple in Alberta over the next 15 years.
The cyclotron is part of $71 million in government and donor funding for a new radiopharmaceutical centre at Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre.
The centre will also support the development of next-generation radioactive medications.
It’s expected to be completed in three years.
LaGrange told reporters Tuesday that timing is critical with radiopharmaceuticals.
“When it comes to these medicines, every second counts. They begin to decay as soon as they are produced,” LaGrange said.
“Right now, every dose used in southern Alberta has to come from Edmonton. Producing them here in Calgary means less time in transit and more reliable supply for patients.”