IBA signs a major contract in South Africa10/12/2019

The Belgian company IBA (Ion Beam Applications), based in Louvain-La-Neuve, a word leading provider of solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, announced on 11 September 2019 that it has signed a contract with iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS), one of the official research facilities of the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, to install a Cyclone® 70 cyclotron system in Cape Town, South Africa. The typical end-user price for a Cyclone® 70 solution is between EUR 12 and 15 million.

Bruno Scutnaire, President of RadioPharma Solutions at IBA, commented: “Following a rigorous public tender process, we are delighted that IBA has been selected as the cyclotron provider at this important South African research institution. It will be the sixth cyclotron of its kind installed by IBA worldwide. This new order further demonstrates IBA’s market-leading expertise and success with high energy cyclotrons.

This 70 MeV Cyclotron will be dedicated to the production of new generation medical isotopes used mainly in the diagnosis of critical illnesses.”

“We selected IBA for its leading technology and unique know-how in developing high energy 70 MeV cyclotrons,” said Dr. Faïçal Azaïez, Managing Director of iThemba LABS. “With the combination of our expertise and the latest in cyclotron technology, we are convinced that iThemba LABS will be able to develop new solutions for the world of Nuclear Medicine as well as for other applications in Physics. This project would not have been realized without the support of the South African Department of Science and Innovation as well as the National Research Foundation. The acquisition of the 70MeV Cyclotron as part of Phase One of the South African Isotope Facility (SAIF) also presents an opportune vehicle for iThemba LABS to broaden its scope for the training of young South Africans to acquire technical skills in Accelerator Based Sciences and Technologies.”