The U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory held a groundbreaking for the Stable Isotope Production and Research Center.
DOE is coordinating with the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tenn., for the research center intended to expand U.S. capability to enrich stable isotopes for industrial, medical and research applications, according to an Oct. 24 news release. DOE also announced $75 million to support the research center with funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden in August.
"Isotopes are so essential to helping diagnose and treat diseases like cancer and for identifying nuclear threats," Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in the release. "With support from the President's Inflation Reduction Act, the world-class Stable Isotope Production and Research Center will help establish a reliable domestic supply of isotopes critical to the health and safety of Americans in every corner of the nation."
This new state-of-the-art research center is part of the Biden administration's larger goal "to build out domestic supply chains critical to America’s economic, energy and national security while solidifying our global leadership in science and innovation," the news release said.
DOE said the isotope research center is expected "to advance life-saving medical applications and strengthen America as a global scientific leader," in a Twitter post.
In her own Twitter post, Granholm referred to the nation's supply of isotopes and how the research will improve that supply.
"With support from @POTUS' Inflation Reduction Act, the world-class Stable Isotope Production and Research Center will help establish a reliable domestic supply of isotopes critical to the health and safety of Americans in every corner of the nation," Granholm said in a post on Twitter.
