You may not often put the two words “nuclear” and “medicine” together, but AREVA has, and opened a new front in the battle against cancer with the innovation and development of a promising treatment using Lead-212, a byproduct of used nuclear fuel recycling.

Production of medical-grade Lead-212 by AREVA Med, an AREVA subsidiary, will be conducted in the new Maurice Tubiana laboratory now under construction at Bessines-sur-Gartempe in the Limousin region of France.

The laboratory, the only one of its kind in the world, is slated to begin production in 2013.

The laboratory’s construction follows authorization by American authorities in January 2011 to begin the first clinical trials of a new radioimmunotherapy (RIT) treatment with Lead-212 (watch the video).

Innovation in nuclear medicine is dependant on the availability of medical-grade isotopes. With the Maurice Tubiana laboratory, the reliable production of the rare Lead-212 isotope should make it possible to treat the most aggressive forms of cancer.

In the battle against cancer, AREVA Med is glad to announce the “public hearing” period for the construction of AREVA Med’s new lead-212 isotopes production facility was successfully completed on March 15, 2011. We are now on the threshold of constructing this unique facility at AREVA’s Bessines site in the Limousin region of France.

AREVA Med, an AREVA subsidiary, is dedicated to developing medical grade lead-212 isotopes to be used in promising radioimmunotherapy (RIT). Lead-212 is a rare radioactive isotope that lies at the heart of promising nuclear medical research to develop new cancer treatments.

In nuclear medicine, the development of new treatments is dictated by isotope availability. By utilizing AREVA’s engineering and technical expertise, in March 2010, AREVA Med announced the construction of a Lead-212 industrial production plant that will allow the creation of new targeted therapies for patients.

In August 2010, AREVA Med formed an Advisory Committee to provide strategic advice and scientific guidance in the field of Radioimmunotherapy.

AREVA announced today that its subsidiary AREVA Med, which specializes in nuclear medicine, has received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin U.S. clinical trials for a new treatment aimed at combating cancer. This is the first such authorization for clinical trials using the lead-212 isotope worldwide.

AREVA has developed a process for extracting lead-212 from thorium derived from its industrial activities. Lead-212 is a rare radioactive isotope that lies at the heart of promising nuclear medical research to develop new cancer treatments. This innovative approach, known as alpha radio-immunotherapy, specifically pinpoints and destroys cancer cells while limiting toxicity to healthy cells.

Phase I* clinical trials will begin this year in the United States and will take approximately two years to complete.

“Nuclear energy and nuclear medicine are technology- and capital-intensive disciplines that have strong historical links. AREVA is a forward-thinking company, and our investment in AREVA Med is one of many aimed at developing innovative solutions that improve people’s lives. This landmark FDA authorization is a very important step that could lead to a potential treatment for very aggressive and lethal cancers,” said Jacques Besnainou, CEO of AREVA North America.

“This decisive FDA authorization brings us much closer to our ultimate goal – creating innovative treatments to combat cancer. This authorization represents a major recognition of the expertise and commitment of AREVA’s team and that of our top-notch scientific partners,” said Patrick Bourdet, President and CEO of AREVA Med.

In nuclear medicine, the development of new treatments is constrained by the availability of isotopes. AREVA announced in 2010 the construction of a facility to produce lead-212 in the Limousin region of France, which would facilitate the creation of new treatments for patients.

For more information, please visit: www.areva.com and www.arevamed.com.

*A Phase I clinical trial primarily aims at confirming the safety of treatments in patients.

Bringing industry and medicine together in the battle against cancer, AREVA Med has announced another important milestone to continue this fight.

AREVA Med, an AREVA subsidiary, is dedicated to developing medical grade lead-212 isotopes to be used in promising Radioimmunotherapy. Lead-212 is a rare radioactive isotope that lies at the heart of promising nuclear medical research to develop new cancer treatments.

In nuclear medicine, the development of new treatments is dictated by isotope availability. By utilizing AREVA’s engineering and technical expertise, in March 2010, AREVA Med announced the construction of a Lead-212 industrial production plant that will allow the creation of new targeted therapies for patients. 


Now, to support the project’s rapid development, AREVA Med has formed an Advisory Committee to provide strategic advice and scientific guidance in the field of Radioimmunotherapy.
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Patrick Bourdet, President and CEO, AREVA Med

We have discussed our efforts in nuclear medicine and the AREVA Med project a couple of times on the blog before, and now I am very pleased tell you about our new website, www.arevamed.com.

Here you will be able to discover more information on the project’s history, basic and technical merit. Through innovation, AREVA Med is determined to develop new powerful anticancer treatments. Please check back often for updates and news as we continue to our efforts in therapies to target cancer.

I hope you are as excited as the AREVA Med team is for this project and what it can bring for oncologists and patients to combat cancer.
-Patrick Bourdet
President and Chief Executive Officer, AREVA Med

by Katherine Berezowskyj

Last week France’s TF1 television network featured AREVA’s innovative work under way in partnership with the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the University of Alabama for the development of a treatment to fight cancer.

The news team got to take a look inside AREVA’s La Hague Facility, in Normandy, where the idea of using AREVA’s expertise in nuclear engineering first came into being. The piece from TF1 also shows the important research and clinical testing underway with partners in the United States.

The clip is a great overview of this project, but unfortunately it’s in French. For those of you who are not fluent, there’s a cheat-sheet with a translation of the video right here (PDF).

AREVA Med, an AREVA subsidiary, is developing innovative methods for the production of the Lead-212 radio-isotope. This isotope has shown to be very promising in tests when used in the targeting therapy called Alpha radio-immunotherapy (Alpha-RIT). Alpha-RIT is a very powerful anti-cancer therapy that works by binding an isotope, like Lead-212, to a monoclonal antibody. Using the body’s own antigens, this treatment targets only cancer cells and destroys them using the high energy of Lead-212. While Alpha-RIT has potential to treat numerous types of cancers, including those that don’t respond well to chemotherapy or radiation, these radio-isotopes have traditionally existed in very limited quantities, hindering the development of new scientific treatments. This is why AREVA has focused on an isotope production method, to make sure Lead-212 is available for cancer research and future treatments.

• More about the AREVA Med project