ITM and ILL Extend Collaboration on the Manufacturing and Supply of Medical Lutetium-177 Radioisotope

Associated Press

16-06-2025

Garching / Munich, Germany, and Grenoble, France, June 16, 2025 – ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM) and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), today announced an extension of their collaboration for medical radioisotope production, originally established in 2009. Under the terms of the renewed agreement, ITM will receive priority access to half of the available neutron irradiation capacity at ILL's High-Flux Reactor, its neutron irradiation facility, for the production of non-carrier-added Lutetium-177 (n.c.a. Lu-177), a critical medical radioisotope used for radiopharmaceutical therapies for cancer treatment and diagnosis. As the globally leading manufacturer of n.c.a. Lu-177, ITM is committed to maintaining and expanding its robust manufacturing and production capabilities to meet the growing demand for this vital medical radioisotope.
'ITM and ILL's longstanding partnership began in 2009, when the radiopharmaceutical industry was still in its infancy,' commented Dr. Andrew Cavey, CEO of ITM. 'Our priority access to ILL's renowned high-flux irradiation services is incredibly important as the demand for n.c.a. Lutetium-177 grows and as our radiopharmaceutical pipeline evolves.'
The high neutron flux of ILL's reactor provides ITM with a high yield of Lu-177, and allows for a particularly sustainable production of the medical radioisotope by minimizing use of the scarce precursor raw material, Ytterbium-176 (Yb-176). Providing radioisotopes to ITM plays a significant role in enabling geographic and industrial return from ILL to its funding countries, fostering innovation and supporting advancements in radiopharmaceutical research and production.
Radiopharmaceutical Therapy (RPT) is an emerging class of cancer therapeutics, which seeks to deliver radiation directly to the tumor while minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissue. Targeted radiopharmaceuticals are created by linking a therapeutic radioisotope such as Lutetium-177 or Actinium-225 to a targeting molecule (e.g., peptide, antibody, small molecule) that can precisely recognize tumor cells and bind to tumor-specific characteristics, such as receptors on the tumor cell surface. As a result, the radioisotope accumulates at the tumor site and decays, releasing a small amount of ionizing radiation, with the goal of destroying tumor tissue. The precise localization enables targeted treatment with potentially minimal impact to healthy surrounding tissue.
About ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE
ITM, a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, is dedicated to providing a new generation of radiomolecular precision therapeutics and diagnostics for hard-to-treat tumors. We aim to meet the needs of cancer patients, clinicians and our partners through excellence in development, production and global supply. With improved patient benefit as the driving principle for all we do, ITM advances a broad precision oncology pipeline, including two phase III studies, combining the company's high-quality radioisotopes with a range of targeting molecules. By leveraging our nearly two decades of pioneering radiopharma expertise, central industry position and established global network, ITM strives to provide patients with more effective targeted treatment to improve clinical outcome and quality of life. www.itm-radiopharma.com
About the ILL, Institut Laue-Langevin
The ILL is the world-leading facility in neutron science and technology. Delivering the most intense neutron beams in the world to its unparalleled suite of 43 state-of-the-art neutron scattering instruments, the ILL offers a unique tool for probing the heart of matter. Every year, around 1500 international researchers visit the ILL to carry out over 1000 cutting-edge experiments in a variety of disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, and material science and engineering. Besides its impact in scientific research and education excellence, the ILL helps drive innovation in the fields of health, energy, the environment and quantum materials. The ILL is engaged in the production of radioisotopes for medical applications since more than 15 years now. A major European project, the ILL was founded in Grenoble in 1967 by France and Germany, joined a few years later by the UK. Today, 13 countries fund the facility for their research communities.
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