Ontario Investing $18 Million to Boost Life-Saving Medical Isotope Production at McMaster University

September 19, 2025

Our government is investing $18 million to boost life-saving medical isotope production at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor.

This investment will expand operations to 24/7, create 16 new, good-paying jobs and produce custom medical isotopes for up to 84,000 treatments each year.

Expanding McMaster’s operations will also increase its research capacity by 300 per cent, accelerating homegrown innovation in strategic areas such as radiopharmaceuticals, medical isotopes, nuclear safety and security.

With more than 247,000 Canadians diagnosed with cancer each year, and two of every five Canadians developing cancer during their lifetime, the demand for precision radiopharmaceuticals is increasing, and so is the need for large-scale production of key isotopes.

To meet this demand, our government will continue to make strategic investments and leverage Ontario’s world-class nuclear fleet to double the number of medical isotopes produced in the province over the next four years.