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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced the signing of a contract with the University of California-Davis (UC Davis) to provide Department of Energy (DOE) technology and source material for commercial medical production of iodine-125, for use in treatment of prostate cancer.

"With the help of isotopes such as iodine-125, prostate cancer has become one of the most treatable forms of cancer today," said Secretary Abraham. "This initiative with UC Davis will make an important medical isotope commercially available here in the United States and help save lives."

The contract will lay the groundwork for UC Davis's first major entry in the commercial isotope production, positioning the university to become a major domestic supplier of iodine-125.

"We are proud to be recognized by the Department of Energy as the sole U.S. source of the iodine-125 isotope that is so effective in treating cancer, especially prostate cancer," said Barry M. Klein, Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Davis. "We look forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Energy, which provides key support for the UC Davis McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center, as we develop our research programs, providing new scientific knowledge, and utilizing the facility to directly benefit medical technology and other cutting-edge support for the private sector."

Since the 1980s, the use of iodine-125 has grown in popularity, as one of two isotopes used for brachytherapy treatment of prostate cancer -- a procedure in which tiny radioactive seeds are implanted in a cancerous tumor using ultrasound imaging and a thin hollow needle. This procedure allows the seeds to be precisely located in the tumor, minimizing radiation exposures to surrounding tissues and other side-effects, while enabling a higher, localized dose to be delivered over a period of several months to the tumor. Ten-year results show that the vast majority of patients remain disease-free, making it an attractive option to radical surgery and external beam therapy.

Under terms of the contract, DOE is transferring the nonexclusive rights to a technology used to separate the iodine-125 from other isotopes that would result during the irradiation process. The department is providing source material from DOE's stable isotope inventory located at the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tenn., under a lease arrangement for five years, with options to renew the lease in the future. The iodine-125 will be produced by the UC Davis McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center located near Sacramento, Calif.

The center owns and operates a robotically-controlled, two megawatt research reactor, the newest research reactor in the United States. The research reactor, originally built and operated by the Air Force in 1990 to inspect and detect hidden defects in aircraft, was transferred to UC Davis last year for research, education and business purposes. In addition to medical isotope production, the reactor supports the university's nuclear engineering program, geology, research, and industrial applications. The facility is operated by Science Applications International Corp., a San Diego based engineering company.

The collaboration announced today serves the national need for isotopes to advance curative therapies for cancer and other serious illnesses. Further information on DOE's medical isotope program, including isotope production and distribution activities and DOE-sponsored research, may be found at www.nuclear.gov.

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