en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japanese startup NovAccel has announced plans to establish its own factory in eastern Japan around fiscal year 2028 to mass-produce the medical radioisotope actinium-225 (Ac-225) for targeted alpha therapy (TAT), with intentions to expand its manufacturing network to the United States after fiscal year 2030. Founded in June 2024 and headquartered in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, the company was established by experts including former University of Tokyo specially appointed professor Satoru Yamashita (current president) and former High Energy Accelerator Research Organization researcher Hitoshi Hayano. Since its founding, it has raised over 2 billion yen.

Targeted alpha therapy is rapidly advancing in clinical applications for various cancers, including prostate cancer and leukemia, with global pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb engaged in fierce competition. However, the global supply of actinium-225, the core raw material, is extremely limited, and Japan's domestic consumption relies entirely on imports. NovAccel plans to begin commercial sales of actinium-225 as early as fiscal year 2027. To achieve mass production by fiscal year 2028, the company is selecting a site in eastern Japan and plans to install multiple units of its self-developed compact superconducting accelerator named "RiSA," ensuring a manufacturing capacity sufficient for 100,000 patient doses per year.

Currently, NovAccel is advancing industry-academia-government collaboration by establishing its first manufacturing base equipped with the RiSA prototype at Hiroshima University's Higashi-Hiroshima Campus. Sample supply to medical institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and academia is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, with an initial monthly supply of 100 to 300 megabecquerels. Traditional actinium-225 production relies on generators, nuclear reactors, or large accelerators. In contrast, the RiSA is only about 10 meters in total length, compact enough for modular distributed manufacturing, with a radionuclide purity of 99.99%, offering clear advantages in power efficiency, yield, and cost control. The company is establishing a stable procurement mechanism for radium-226 through frameworks such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and leveraging the advantages of compact equipment to build a global manufacturing network, aiming to secure a position among the top three in global market share.

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