Experts from Reactor Materials Institute (IRM), a company within Rosatom's Scientific Division, have developed ionizing radiation sources based on iridium-192 for use in brachytherapy. The high-dose therapy using these sources is safe for patients and practitioners, while being effective in treating numerous malignant tumors, both intracavitary and interstitial.
The uniqueness of Rosatom scientists' solution is the small size of the device. It consists of a needle irradiated in the IRM's research reactor and enclosed in a capsule. The capsule has a cable manufactured using specialized techniques and welded onto it. All these operations are performed remotely using a manipulator in a high-temperature chamber.
"We have already developed prototypes. Now we are ready to deliver them to clinics for testing. We plan to get our product certified and registered as a medical device in 2025. Once we have all the necessary permits in place, we will launch the product in the Russian market and later the CIS market," said Denis Butakov, Head of the Radiation Technologies at IRM JSC.