The Department of Energy’s Office of Isotope R&D and Production, along with the University of Missouri Research Reactor, is now producing gadolinium 153, otherwise known as Gd-153.
Gd-153 is essential for calibrating diagnostic imaging machines for spec scans, which produce 3D medical images of patients’ organs.
Up until 2023, Russia was the only supplier of Gd-153. Russia eventually stopped producing the isotope, sending the market into a global supply chain crisis.
The MU Research Reactor, or MURR, is now the sole domestic producer of Gd-153.
“Having a reliable source of gadolinium for these calibration devices means those images are going to be better, which means doctors can interpret them better and it will have an impact on patient care,” said MURR Communications Director Uriah Orland.
When Russia stopped producing Gd-153, Orland said the Department of Energy reached out to the MURR to ask if they had the capabilities to start producing the isotope.
“There was a growing deficit for the calibration devices in the country and in the world,” Orland said. “Without a supply of gadolinium-153, Siemens could not manufacture their calibration devices.”
In October 2024, the MU Research Reactor worked alongside the Department of Energy and the International Okra Lab to produce and refine Gd-153. Now, they are a national supplier of isotopes.
