In 2019, the MEDICIS Project was once again be supported by the Fondation pour l’innovation sur le cancer et la biologie. Thanks to their generous donation to the CERN & Society Foundation, we could help to support the Project’s ongoing development, particularly with the production and analysis of 169 Erbium isotopes.

CERN–MEDICIS (Medical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE) is a unique facility, designed to produce radioisotopes with the right properties to enhance the precision of both patient imaging and treatment, thereby providing the opportunity to radically improve the success of cancer treatments. The Project aims to expand the range of radioisotopes available for medical research – some of which can only be produced at CERN – and send them to hospitals and research centres in Switzerland and across Europe for further study.

Initiated in 2010 by CERN, MEDICIS is the result of the successful operation and constant development of ISOLDE for more than 50 years. Today, it can provide beams of 1300 different isotopes from 73 chemicals which have already been produced at CERN for research in many areas, including fundamental nuclear research.

Isotope 169 Erbium is considered a promising isotope with regard to cancer treatment. Early results have shown it has very encouraging decay properties when used in targeted therapy, and with no disturbing gamma rays.  Many more isotopes are yet to be discovered and tested.

The production of new isotopes is ongoing, and the valuable support from the Fondation pour l’innovation sur le cancer et la biologie undoubtedly contributes towards MEDICIS playing an important role in the fight against cancer.