The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science has re-established large-scale domestic isotope production, marking a significant milestone for the country’s supply of critical stable isotopes.
The programme, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is designed to reduce decades of dependence on overseas suppliers while strengthening access to materials used in healthcare, national security and advanced manufacturing.
The renewed capability is based on major advances in isotope enrichment technologies that surpass the performance of systems used during the Cold War.
By modernising production methods, the DOE aims to provide a more reliable domestic source of isotopes essential for medical treatments, quantum technologies and industrial applications.
The expansion also lays the foundation for future growth. Construction of a new Stable Isotope Production and Research Center (SIPRC) at ORNL is progressing, with phased operations expected to begin in 2028.
The facility will increase production capacity while supporting research, workforce development and long-term supply chain resilience.
Advanced isotope production capabilities return to the US
Since the decommissioning of the nation’s historic calutrons in 1998, the United States has lacked large-scale domestic stable isotope enrichment.
The DOE’s Isotope R&D and Production (IRP) programme has now restored that capability by advancing two complementary technologies: Electromagnetic Isotope Separation (EMIS) and Gas Centrifuge Isotope Separation (GCIS).
Together, these modern systems deliver greater efficiency, flexibility and precision than previous generations of enrichment technology, enabling the production of a wider range of strategically important isotopes.
A key breakthrough comes from ORNL’s plasma-based EMIS platform, which can isolate and enrich multiple isotopes from a single element during one production cycle. This significantly improves productivity while expanding the range of isotopes available from a single operation.
Supporting medicine, quantum technology and security
The enhanced isotope production capability is expected to benefit several high-impact sectors.
In healthcare, EMIS systems routinely enrich ytterbium-176, the precursor material required to manufacture lutetium-177, an FDA-approved isotope used in targeted cancer therapies.
At the same time, the technology can also produce ytterbium-171, which is increasingly important for atomic clocks and emerging quantum computing applications.
ORNL has additionally demonstrated the ability to enrich other strategically valuable isotopes, including germanium-76 and silicon-28, which support quantum information science and advanced semiconductor research.
The laboratory is also producing specialised nickel isotopes used as precursor materials for airport security scanners and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging technologies.
Alongside EMIS, ORNL’s GCIS technology focuses on enriching gaseous isotopes, including xenon-129. This isotope plays an important role in advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly for diagnosing and monitoring lung disease.
New facility to strengthen isotope production
To expand national capacity, ORNL is building the SIPRC, which will significantly increase isotope production when phased operations begin in 2028.
The laboratory is also incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced automation into enrichment processes to improve operational efficiency and production quality.
Beyond manufacturing, ORNL manages the National Stable Isotope Repository and works with universities, national laboratories and industry partners to develop the skilled workforce needed to sustain the United States’ growing isotope production capability and support future scientific and technological innovation.
