WANA (Aug 23) – Mohammad Eslami, Iran’s vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said more than 1.5 million patients and people seeking diagnostic services use products developed by the organization each year, while some of its nuclear medical products are also exported to various countries.

 

Speaking at a ceremony marking Doctors’ Day in Iran’s nuclear industry on Sunday, Eslami said that during the recent attacks, the United States and Israel targeted the plate-fuel production facility in Isfahan, which manufactures fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor.

 

He said the reactor is used for scientific research and the production of radiopharmaceuticals.

 

Eslami also referred to the attack on the Khondab complex, saying that the oxygen-18 production line was targeted. Oxygen-18 is used in the production of materials needed for medical imaging procedures, including PET scans.

 

The AEOI chief said the attacks demonstrated opposition to scientific and technological progress, emphasizing that Iran’s nuclear products are directly used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

 

“More than 1.5 million patients, or people who visit doctors for diagnostic procedures, currently use the organization’s products every year,” Eslami said, adding that various countries have become export destinations for products manufactured by the AEOI.

 

He also highlighted the organization’s work on cold plasma technology, saying that more than 20 wound-treatment clinics have been established across Iran.

 

According to Eslami, cold plasma has been used in the treatment of cancer, wound healing and pain relief, with the technology producing significant results.

 

The AEOI chief also stressed the need to accelerate the commercialization of medical technologies, saying the gap between the preclinical and clinical stages should be shortened so that new treatments can become available to the public more quickly.

 

Eslami said the AEOI would continue investing in the development of such technologies in cooperation with Iran’s Health Ministry and Iran University of Medical Sciences. He described a newly signed memorandum of understanding between the institutions as the beginning of a new phase in accelerating the transition of research and technological achievements into practical medical applications.