ORNL Boosts U.S. Isotope Supply for Patients

National lab produces more isotopes than any other, but doesn't sell any - that's the job of the DOE's National Isotope Development Center.

Mar. 14, 2026 at 1:49am

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Staff members from the National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) attended the 2025 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The NIDC, which is located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is responsible for the sales and distribution of isotopes produced across the national lab system to support medical, national security, industrial, and research applications.

Why it matters

Ensuring a reliable domestic supply of critical isotopes is essential to advancing U.S. leadership in medicine, national security, industry, and scientific discovery. The DOE's Office of Isotope R&D and Production (DOE IRP) and the NIDC play a crucial role in coordinating the production, stewardship, and distribution of these high-priority commodities.

The details

The DOE IRP is responsible for the routine production of stable and radioactive isotopes across all the national labs and its university partner sites in the University Isotope Network (UIN). The NIDC, located at ORNL, provides corporate services for sales and coordinates the distribution of isotopes, including by-products and legacy materials. It also conducts market research to help determine when new isotope production methods should be developed or when production programs should be modified.

  • The NIDC staff attended the 2025 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The players

National Isotope Development Center (NIDC)

The NIDC is the business arm of the DOE's Office of Isotope R&D and Production, responsible for the sales and distribution of isotopes produced across the national lab system.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

ORNL is the home of the NIDC and produces more isotopes than any other national lab.

DOE Office of Isotope R&D and Production (DOE IRP)

The DOE IRP is responsible for the routine production of stable and radioactive isotopes across the national labs and university partner sites.

University Isotope Network (UIN)

The UIN is a network of university partner sites that work with the DOE IRP to produce and enrich isotopes.

Christopher Landers

The director of the DOE Office of Isotope R&D and Production.

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What they’re saying

“Isotopes are high-priority commodities of strategic importance for the nation and are essential for energy, medical and national security applications and for discovery research.”

— Christopher Landers, DOE IRP Director (Mirage News)

“One goal of Isotope R&D and Production is to make critical isotopes more readily available to reduce or remove foreign dependencies.”

— Christopher Landers, DOE IRP Director (Mirage News)

What’s next

The DOE IRP and NIDC will continue to work to ensure a reliable domestic supply of critical isotopes to meet U.S. needs in medicine, national security, industry, and research.

The takeaway

The DOE's Office of Isotope R&D and Production and the National Isotope Development Center play a vital role in coordinating the production, distribution, and stewardship of high-priority isotopes that are essential for advancing U.S. leadership in key sectors like medicine, national security, and scientific discovery.