WORLD COUNCIL ON ISOTOPES 1

2019 KOICA-IAEA Joint Training Program

Prepared by the WCI Secretariat

The 2019 KOICA-IAEA Joint Training Program on the

establishment of a long term management plan by

strengthening capacity for diagnostic and

therapeutic radioisotopes and

radiopharmaceutical applications was

implemented by the KAERI in cooperation with the

WCI from September 23 to October 4, 2019.

The opening ceremony took place on 24

September (Tuesday) at the KAERI, Daejeon, Korea.

This training program was organized by the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and

the Korea International Cooperation Agency

(KOICA), and implemented by the KAERI in

cooperation with the WCI. It was held over two

weeks. The program consisted of several lectures

and discussion sessions. There were also the

practical exercise sessions together with scientific

visits to hospitals.

From around the world there were a total of 10

experts attending the training course. They were

from Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Macedonia,

Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Philippines, Serbia

01. Lead Article

2019 November Vol.8 – Issue 11

01 Lead Article 1

02 Isotope-related News 10

03 Sketches from the Secretariat 15

04Future Conferences and Events 16

Nigel R. Stevenson President

Van Zyl de Villiers Immediate-Past President

Jong Kyung Kim President-Elect

Bernard Ponsard Chair, Industrial Application

Timothy Payne Chair, Environmental Applications

Tatsuo Ido Chair, Medical Applications

Carlo R. Chemaly Chair, Publication

MeeraVenkatesh Chair, Education and Training

Myung Jae Song Chair, Info. Exchange & Coop.

Paul Dickman Chair, ICI Coordination

Ira GoldmanChair, Long-Term Funding

Woo-Geun Song Director of Secretariat

WCI Secretariat

18F Seoul Forest IT Valley 77 Seongsuil-ro,

Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Korea

TEL: +82-2-3490-7141

Email: Secretary@wci-ici.org

www.wci-ici.org

WORLD COUNCIL ON ISOTOPES 2

and Thailand.

For these 10 participants, living expenses and round-trip air tickets were borne by the

Korea International Cooperation Agency(KOICA) of the Republic of Korea. Upcoming

training courses will run through to 2021, over three years starting this year, 2019.

Opening Speech

Dr. Shin Ae Kim, Director of the Nuclear Training and Education Center, the KAERI gave the

opening speech. She said that she was very happy to have an opportunity to host this

training course at the KAERI. She emphasized the importance of nuclear medicine when

addressing prevention, diagnosis, and therapy for human health. She added that the

number of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals is growing rapidly, thereby allowing

the medical community better access to detailed information on diagnostic and

therapeutic applications. Finally, she said that she hoped this training course would

provide the participants with a valuable opportunity to enhance their knowledge and to

share information and their experiences in various countries they come from.

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Congratulatory Speech

Dr. Joao Alberto OSSO JUNIO, Head of Radioisotope Products and Radiation Technology

Section, Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences, IAEA said that the IAEA had

organizing this first training course with the KOICA, the KAERI and the WCI, which had

cooperated effectively over a long period of time. He said that he was happy to have the

opportunity for the KAERI to host this training course in cooperation with the WCI. He said

the training program is going to help member states consolidate the production of

medical isotopes and radio pharmaceuticals. He said participants were going to visit

installations in the country and conduct practical experiments. He strongly encouraged

every participant to discuss, interact and create new networks through active

participation in this training course with a view of developing their future activities. He said

establishing the network among participants was very important. He said it is why the IAEA

supports the program, not only the learning. In addition, he added the IAEA will continue

to support this training program into the future.

Welcoming Speech

Dr. Nigel Stevenson, President of the WCI delivered his welcoming remarks and

emphasized the importance of this training course that seems to be instructive and

stimulating to the participants. He said that all of the participants would have a special

opportunity to learn from the experts and from other specialists. He also wished that this

training program would inject new energy into participants’ work and careers. He also

hoped it would encourage the participants to make the maximum use of their opportunity

in order to gain a new or broader perspective, to share knowledge and experience with

other participants, and to be open to the views of others. Finally, he made a request for

every participant to transfer information from this training program to others in the

participants’ working environments.

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Lectures and Scientific Visits

This training program consisted of lectures and discussion sessions and practical exercise

sessions and scientific visits. The lecture and discussion sessions centered around

radioisotopes (RI) and radiopharmaceuticals(RPs) with regard to policy and regulatory

aspects, and RI and RPs in the technical area. Accordingly, for this session, the 18 lectures

were given by domestic and international experts.

Their lectures were on a variety of topics, including basic radiochemistry and analytical

techniques, the production of RI based on the reactor and the cyclotron, chemistry and

radiochemistry of metallic and nonmetallic RIs, GMP of RPs, quality control of

radiopharmaceuticals, quality control of RPs, preclinical evaluation of RPs, clinical trials

with RPs, compounding and the manufacturing of diagnostic and therapeutic RPs,

regulatory agencies and the regulatory process for RPs, GMP requirements, compounding

and the manufacturing of diagnostic RPs, RP regulatory landscape in the European Union

and in the USA, and guidance for countries for setting optimum RP regulations.

The practical exercise session dealt with reactor and cyclotron facilities including

cyclotron, hot cell, High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor(HANARO),

radioisotope production facility(RIPF), etc., at the KAERI and RP production facilities with

GMP accreditation for therapeutic RPs at the Samyoung Unitech Co., LTD.

In addition, the scientific visits to the hospitals that are involved in RI and RP use for

diagnostic and therapeutic application are at Seoul National Hospital and at Asan

Medical Center in Seoul, Korea.

Country Report Presentation

The participants were given the opportunity to present their country reports that discussed

their current status and other issues, with regard to human resources, the services/business

area, facilities and the utilization of RI and RPs, authentication and regulation, among

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others. It was suggested that their improvement strategies including specific action plans

should be presented in alphabetical order.

Action Plan Formulation and Presentation

To develop the action plan, common sense and assumptions were suggested in the

training course, based on the country reports presented by the participants as follows;

1. The participating country has to have very good infrastructure for SPEC and PET

radiopharmaceuticals preparation, enough human resources for PET and SPECT

radiopharmaceuticals and needs to prepare for GMP and MA(marketing

authorization) or new drug approval for various kinds of PET radiopharmaceuticals.

2. The participant has strong interests in new radioisotope production with cyclotron

or reactors, and considers the importance of the hardware for GMP, etc.

Under the situation with the afore mentioned common sense and assumptions, the

participants were given the following action options for an action plan to develop as

follows;

1. Action 1: The participants need to prepare to do research, complete a project

plan or a fellowship program for radioisotope production or radiopharmaceutical

development.

2. Action 2: The participants should set up and validate GMP regulations for each

country.

3. Action 3: The participants should summarize MA(marketing authorization) or

NDA(New Drug Approval) regulations in each country together with the

reimbursement status.

Considering the above mentioned common sense, assumptions and action options, the

participants prepared action plans for a presentation on the following contents;

1. Background and Purpose

2. Current Status and Issues(Overall, S.W.O.T. analysis, Gap analysis)

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3. Improvement Strategy

4. Specific Action Plan(Overall, the steps to achieve your goals)

5. The steps to achieve your goals(implementing organization, during of the project)

6. Action Plan Timetable

7. Outline of the Action Plan-Budget(if necessary)

8. Expected Results-Outputs/Outcomes)

9. Challenges and Solutions

The participants prepared for their action plans, based on one of their action options

given, and gave their presentations in alphabetical order and discussed with the

participants and consultants to explore the best solution.

Closing Speech

Mr. Woo-Geun Song, the WCI Secretariat Director said that he was very pleased to have

an opportunity to deliver the closing remarks on behalf of the organizers for this training

course. He emphasized the importance of the participant's role. They need to share their

experience with other people all over the world who are working in this field, and asked

the participants to contribute to the promotion of safe and environmentally sound isotope

technologies for global wellbeing. In addition, he expressed his deep appreciation to

KOICA for providing financial support and to the KAERI and the IAEA for preparing this

course in his closing remarks. Especially, he expressed his special thanks to Dr. Hyeon-

Jin(James) Kim and his colleagues for their devoted efforts to have organized this training

course successfully.

Opinions from Participants:

Ms. Ana Clarisa Lopez Bularte from Argentina : She noted that the

program was very well organized and that experts were well

qualified and were showing a high level of professionalism and

enthusiasm for consultations during and after training. She said

friendly ties were created between the different participants and

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that each other’s work experiences helped in finding solutions. She expressed that she was

very grateful for the willingness to seek solutions from both experts and other course

participants.

Ms. Syedzadi Mahbuba Monzur Mouna from Bangladesh : She said

it was a nice concept to make the radioisotope and

radiopharmaceutical sector more effective and more powerful.

She expressed her thanks to KOICA for giving participants a great

opportunity.

Ms. RakheeVatsa from India : This program provided a chance to

build long term friendships with people from 10 different countries.

Not only was there the opportunity to share her culture and field

experiences with other participants, she said there was also the

chance to learn about their cultures away from the scientific work

as well. Also, she added the scientific visits to hospitals, the KAERI

and the traditional Korean Village would be the moments that she would always cherish.

She expressed here gratitude to KOICA and IAEA for giving her this opportunity.

Ms. Katerina Kolevska from Macedonia : She said that she was

thankful to the organizers for giving her the opportunity to

participate in this training program at the highest level. She noted

that it had been a great experience in terms of strengthening

knowledge in the field of radio pharmacy, providing key updates

on new trends in radiopharmaceutical research. She suggested

that the information which was obtained during the lectures and the visits to the

radiopharmaceutical research and production facilities was very useful. She said that it

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had been a pleasure to make many new contacts and to share ideas with the other

participants.

Mr. MohdFirdaus Bin Abdul Aziz from Malaysia : He pointed out that

it was a really good course and an enjoyable few weeks, adding

that trainers and speakers were excellent. On a personal level, he

liked the fact that the time management was excellent and that

sessions and days were not too long, adding that hospitality was

really outstanding.

Ms. Gabriela Contreras Castanon from Mexico : She said that she

was happy and satisfied with the program, because this training

program was confirmed by polite expert scientists. She said that

they were always in a good mood to answer every question.

Adding that, the practice sessions and the field trips were helpful to

understand how the GMP works.

Mr. Sasa LOZO from Montenegro : He said that he had just words of

praise for the perfect organization of this course. He expressed his

gratitude for all beautiful things he had experienced. With the

professional knowledge axis, he said he had the opportunity to

discover Korean culture and delicious cuisine.

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Ms. Joanna Michelle Encarnacion Chua from Philippines : The

KOICA-IAEA joint program was able to cover all topics necessary to

operate a radio pharmacy. She said it was very helpful for those

who have never had formal training in the field. She expressed her

gratitude to KOICA for selecting her as one of the participants for

this 3-year project.

Mr. Marko Peric from Serbia : He expressed that nice surroundings

and magnificent people made the stay in Korea wonderful while

pointing out that the organization of training course was perfect.

Ms. NatphimolBoonkawin from Thailand : She said the training

course was very useful and helpful for the understanding of

radiopharmaceuticals, radiochemistry and quality control, adding

that EP and USP regulation lectures were very useful. They provided

insight with regard to the applying of each country’s regulations,

including the GMP set-up. She expressed her happiness with Korean

culture, cuisine and also the good relationships established or

maintained with all participants.

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WORLD COUNCIL ON ISOTOPES 10

02. Isotope-related News

8 AI Diagnostics and imaging startups for digital health

Investing in emerging technologies can be extremely risky. It can also be extremely

rewarding - and not just for your bank account. Technologies like artificial intelligence

have the potential to change the world in many different ways. One of the industries

where AI is already making real advances is healthcare, such as the ability to design and

validate drug candidates to treat disease in less than two months.

To read more please visit:

https://www.nanalyze.com/2019/10/ai-diagnostics-imaging-startups/

Source: Nanalyze

Canadian technology offers Fukushima tritium option

Laker TRF Ltd says its water detritiation technology could provide "cost-effective and

reliable" detritiation for light water applications, such as contaminated water at the

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and fusion power reactors, such as ITER. The

Canadian company's Advanced Water Distillation (AWD) technology was initially

developed for pressurised heavy water reactors.

To read more please visit:

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Canadian-technology-offers-Fukushima-

tritium-optio?feed=feed

Source: World nuclear news

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Record breaking fusion reaction could transform medical isotope production

Nuclear technology companies Phoenix and SHINE Medical Technologies have achieved

a new world record for a nuclear fusion reaction in a steady-state system, the strongest of

its kind ever produced on Earth. The reaction yielded 46 trillion (4.6×1013) neutrons per

second, eclipsing the previous record by nearly 25% and setting a new standard for

neutron generator technology.

To read more please visit:

https://physicsworld.com/a/record-breaking-fusion-reaction-could-transform-medical-

isotope-production/

Source: Physicsworld

Advanced accelerator applications: innovating against cancer

Cancer is very complex. It is not just one disease. There are hundreds of different types of

cancer, each one with unique characteristics. To make things more complicated, each

person’s disease acts differently.

One of the most challenging things about treating cancer is that it is not predictable and

can change. One therapy may work for a period of time, then stop working. Tumors can

also spread to different parts of the body, making the disease more difficult to treat.

To read more please visit:

https://www.thebusinessdebate.com/advanced-accelerator-applications-innovating-

against-cancer/

Source: The business debate

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US regulator accepts SHINE's radioisotope operating license application

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted SHINE Medical Technologies'

operating licence application for its medical isotope production facility in Janesville,

Wisconsin. SHINE said the NRC's acceptance confirms that its application was "complete

and of sufficient quality" for the NRC to start its detailed technical review of the

application.

To read more please visit:

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-regulator-accepts-SHINEs-radioisotope-

operating?feed=feed

Source: World nuclear news

International collaboration secures radioisotope supplies

Research reactors in Canada and the Netherlands will work together to create a dual

supply of the medical isotope iodine-125 (I-125), McMaster University and NRG have

announced. The collaboration is a response to a worldwide shortage of the product in

2017.

Iodine-125 has a half-life of 60 days and is used in brachytherapy for prostate and brain

cancers, as well as in diagnostics and radioimmunoassays.

To read more please visit:

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/International-collaboration-secures-

radioisotope-s?feed=feed

Source: World nuclear news

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IAEA Partners with Prominent US Research Hospital to Tackle Childhood

Cancers in Developing Countries

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

are joining forces to combat childhood cancers in developing countries, where children

are four times more likely to die of the disease than in high-income countries due to a lack

of affordable treatment and quality care options.

To read more please visit:

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-partners-with-prominent-us-

research-hospital-to-tackle-childhood-cancers-in-developing-countries

Source: IAEA

Illawarra patients await diagnostic scans as Lucas Heights' shutdown

continues

Some Illawarra residents are facing delays for vital diagnostic scans due to a continuing

nationwide shortage of nuclear medicine.

Australia's only nuclear reactor, at Lucas Heights, halted production of the radioisotope

known as molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) after a mechanical fault at the facility on September 6.

Mo-99 is used in 85 per cent of nuclear medicine scans to diagnose cancer, heart disease

and other abnormalities. It's also needed to produce Technetium-99m, a radioactive

tracer which is injected in patients to diagnose a variety of health conditions including

heart, lung, organ and muscular-skeletal conditions.

To read more please visit:

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/6431297/illawarra-patients-face-delays-for-

vital-scans-due-to-nuclear-medicine-shortage/

Source: Illawarramercury

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Inside the ASNC SPECT Imaging Guidelines

The field of nuclear cardiology has expanded greatly over the last few years, prompting

an update of the ASNC SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Guidelines.

Updated guidelines were published in May 2018 and include newer generation cameras,

processing techniques, and key topics such as radiation reduction. These guidelines have

also been endorsed by SNMMI. A core tenet of the guidelines is giving clinicians a review

of the available imaging tools in nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging and focusing

attention on choosing the right test for the right patient at the right time.

To read more please visit:

https://www.digirad.com/asnc-spect-imaging-guidelines/

Source: Digirad

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WORLD COUNCIL ON ISOTOPES 15

03. Sketches from the Secretariat

[WCI President's Awards/ICI Awards] Call for nominations

The World Council on Isotopes(WCI) has the honor to announce that it would like to invite

all WCI members to nominate any individual, organization or company that has directly

and exceptionally contributed to advancing the WCI’s mission, objectives and activities,

according to Article B7 of the WCI Bylaws.

The categories of the Awards are shown as follows;

1. The WCI President’s Award recognizes (1) outstanding contributions to the

promotion of isotope technologies and the use of isotopes to benefit mankind, or (2)

exceptional contributions to the activities of the Council through, for example,

sharing and the dissemination of relevant information, active cooperation in

promoting the peaceful applications of isotope technologies, provision of

technical/policy advice or training, and technology transfer. The number of the

WCI President’s Award will be restricted to 6 Awards.

2. The ICI Chair’s Award recognizes exceptional contributions to the successful

organization of the International Conference on Isotopes (ICI). The number of the

ICI Chair’s Awards will be restricted to 2 Awards.

The nomination form should be sent to the Director of the WCI Secretariat, Mr. Woo-Geun

Song, by November 20, 2019. Please find the Nomination Form at the WCI

wesite(http://wci-ici.org/06_commu/commu01.html?Item=free&mode=view&s_t=1&No=191)

(including a copy of the relevant Bylaw)for the two awards.

We hope you share our commitment, interest and enthusiasm to award different

stakeholders working in our isotope community.

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WORLD COUNCIL ON ISOTOPES 16

04.Future Conferences and Events

ASNT Annual Conference 2019

• Date: November 18-21, 2019

• Venue: Las Vegas, America

•Website:

https://www.asnt.org/MajorSiteSections/Events/Upcoming_Events/Annual_2019.aspx

The ASNT Annual Conference will provide a forum for the exchange of theoretical,

scientific and application information. In this challenging economy you need to stay

informed and up to date on the latest advances in NDT technology. Participating in this

conference will expand your knowledge while increasing your visibility.

2020 SNMMI Mid-Winter & ACNM Annual Meeting

• Date: , January 23-25, 2020

• Venue:Tampa, Florida, America

•Website: http://www.snmmi.org/mwm2020

Attention young professionals including those in training (residents, physicians, nuclear

pharmacists, or scientists) or in practice within 10 years of graduation:

Submit your original clinical or scientific abstract for the 2020 ACNM Annual Meeting,

January 23-25, 2020 in Tampa, Florida.

Clinical and scientific abstracts will be accepted on the following topics:

- Aspects of Clinical and Basic Science in Nuclear Medicine/Correlative Imaging in

Nuclear Medicine and Radiology/Nuclear Pharmacy and Physics/ Nuclear

Cardiology/Radionuclide Therapy/Quality and Safety in Nuclear Medicine

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EANM Focus 3 MOLECULAR IMAGING AND THERANOSTICS IN NEUROENDOCRINE TUMOURS

• Date: January 30 - February 1, 2020

• Venue: Athens, GreeceEANM Focus 3 MOLECULAR IMAGING AND THERANOSTICS IN

NEUROENDOCRINE TUMOURS

• Website: https://focusmeeting.eanm.org/

The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), the world-leading society for

nuclear medicine, molecular imaging and theranostics, is pleased to announce the third

edition of the EANM Focus Meeting – an annual conference in a new format that will take

place in the first months of each year. It will supplement the very successful EANM Annual

Congress in October and the educational events organized by EANM/ESMIT. As all good

things come in threes, it is our special pleasure to inform you that the third EANM Focus

Meeting will be on “Molecular Imaging and Theranostics in Neuroendocrine Tumours”.

10th International Conference on Isotopes

•Date: February 3-7, 2020

•Venue: Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

•Website: https://10ici.org

The theme for 10ICI is “Harnessing Isotopes for Improved Quality of Life” with the main

objective of providing a platform to discuss the state-of-the art developments in isotope

technology for the advancement and application of isotopes in various fields such as

medicine, the environment, industry and agriculture. The conference aims to bring

together scientists, engineers, nuclear and medical physicists, health physicists, radio

chemists, physicians, national and international leaders from business, industry, and

governments to educate, engage, network and exchange best practices with experts

and peers from all parts of the world and to share cutting-edge research and advanced

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state-of-art practice.

20th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (WCNDT 2020)

• Date: June 8-12, 2020

• Venue: Seoul, KOREA

•Website: http://www.wcndt2020.com

The 20th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (WCNDT 2020) hosted by the

Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing (KSNT) will be held in Seoul, South Korea in June

2020 in association with ICNDT.

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WORLD COUNCIL ON ISOTOPES 19

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Call for New Members

Becoming a member of WCI – as an organization or as an individual – comes with many benefits.

WCI is the major network concerned with isotopes and isotope technologies in the world.

Take a look on this overview of what WCI Membership can offer you!

Representation

Through consultation and discussion with its members, WCI has knowledge of the

industry, allowing it to carry out an efficient representative role.

Specialized information

The various expert committees of WCI provide members with regular updates

and advice on key industry topics, market developments and relevant legislation.

Training

WCI offers radioisotope-related training programs and provides selected

member trainees with tuition fees, travel expenses, and accommodation.

Newsletter

WCI members receive key information via the WCI monthly newsletter.

Networking opportunities

WCI provides a platform where members benefit from unrivalled networking

opportunities within the industry.

Promotion

WCI’s communication tools, newsletter and website, provide an opportunity for

members to enhance their organization’s profile.

Discounts

Members also enjoy reduced registration rates for the WCI and other specific

events.

Our membership is free and you can apply for WCI membership by eitherour website orby

email.

•on our website: Click here to sign up!

•by e-mail: You can email the WCI secretary by filling out the forms below.

Organization / Individual

For more information please contact secretary@wci-ici.org.