Our capabilities
Radiochemical Expertise
A Decade of Refinement.
Niowave began developing its radiochemistry capabilities in 2016 to support Molybdenum-99 production. Over time, that effort evolved into a highly specialized radiochemical processing platform built entirely in-house and refined through years of practical development work.
Our processes were not adapted from an existing commercial system. They were developed internally through direct operational experience in isotope production, separation chemistry, process engineering, and radioactive materials handling. In a field where published methodologies are limited and practical expertise is difficult to acquire, each challenge solved has contributed to a deeper and more capable production platform.
Our accumulated experience now supports Niowave’s broader medical isotope programs, including Yttrium-90 and Actinium-225 production. The result is a radiochemistry capability built on operational knowledge, process control, and continuous refinement, designed to support reliable isotope production at clinical and commercial scale.
From Accelerator to Actinium
When irradiated material leaves the accelerator, it enters Niowave’s hot cell infrastructure, a controlled environment where a carefully sequenced series of engineering unit operations begins. The goal is separation: isolating Actinium-225 from the Radium-226 target material it was produced from, then refining each through successive processing steps until both meet the standards required for their next use.
While radium and actinium are chemically distinct and can be separated using established methods, achieving consistently high recovery yields at meaningful production scale is considerably more demanding. Niowave’s process is designed not only to isolate actinium efficiently, but also to recover and recycle radium-226 with minimal losses from cycle to cycle. The work is further complicated by the radiological environment itself, including the management of radon generated from radium decay throughout processing and handling operations.
Recovered radium is returned to future target production rather than discarded. Niowave has developed processes capable of achieving Radium-226 recycle rates greater than 99% per cycle, supporting both material stewardship and long-term production sustainability.
Building and operating these capabilities internally has given the company practical experience across the full radiochemical workflow, from target handling and separations through recycling, packaging, and isotope delivery.
Built to Scale. Built to Improve.
Niowave has scaled its radiochemical capabilities through sustained development over more than a decade, advancing to some of the largest and most complex targets in the industry. Each step has introduced new engineering and radiochemical challenges, building a depth of understanding that continues to shape how we design and refine the process.
That same foundation underpins our work in Actinium225 today and provides a clear path to expand into additional isotopes. Our radiochemistry platform is built to adapt and continues to evolve alongside the needs of targeted cancer therapy.