WANA (Mar 04) – An Iranian researcher and recipient of the prestigious Khwarizmi International Award has successfully developed the most powerful gallium-68 generator for cancer diagnosis. This achievement comes despite international sanctions that have restricted the import of such critical medical equipment into Iran.

 

A Breakthrough in Nuclear Medicine

Gallium-68, a radioactive isotope used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, is produced from a germanium-68 generator. Compared to the widely used technetium-99m, gallium-68 provides better imaging and faster results, making it ideal for detecting cancer and other conditions.

 

Iran’s Innovation in Cancer Diagnosis

Mehdi Gholamhoseini Nazari won third place at the Khwarizmi International Award for designing an advanced gallium-68 generator. His innovation, Pars Galogen, increases the generator’s efficiency and meets European Pharmacopoeia standards. It is now widely used in Iran’s nuclear medicine centers.

 

Overcoming Sanctions & Expanding Exports

Over the past six to seven years, Gholamhoseini and his team have ensured the domestic production of this critical generator, making Iran self-sufficient. The country has also begun exporting the technology to Iraq, Turkey, and India. Although exports were temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gholamhoseini estimates that within six to seven months, additional markets will be secured.

 

“In a time of sanctions, when Iran urgently needed advanced cancer diagnostic tools, we successfully developed this generator,” he noted. “It plays a crucial role in both initial cancer detection and assessing treatment effectiveness in patients.”

 

Currently, only three or four companies worldwide manufacture these generators. Iran has successfully produced a European-standard equivalent, which has been recognized in the European Nuclear Medicine Conferences of 2022 and 2024. Experts have acknowledged that Iran has developed one of the most advanced gallium-68 generators available today.

 

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization has now taken over production, fully supplying domestic demand while expanding exports to new markets.