TORONTO, Canada – The Ontario government is welcoming a $500,000 donation from Laurentis Energy Partners (Laurentis), a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), to help establish the Silber Family Theranostics Centre at the University Health Network’s (UHN) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. This investment will accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies to deliver faster diagnosis and more precise therapies for more than 3,550 patients by 2028.
“Ontario’s nuclear advantage is saving lives,” said Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines. “We’re harnessing the power of made-in-Ontario isotopes to fuel next-generation cancer care – giving patients more hope, delivering faster diagnoses and providing more effective treatments. At the same time, we’re creating good-paying jobs, strengthening our economy and showcasing Ontario’s energy leadership on the world stage”.
Theranostics is a new approach to cancer care that combines advanced nuclear imaging with targeted isotope therapy, allowing physicians to diagnose and treat complex diseases like cancer with unprecedented precision. Opening in 2027, the Silber Family Theranostics Centre will use made-in-Ontario medical isotopes – lutetium-177 (Lu-177), yttrium-90 (Y-90), and molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) – to detect cancer earlier and deliver more precise, targeted radiation treatments.
“Our government is protecting Ontario’s healthcare system and giving people access to more innovative treatment options by expanding access to life-saving medications and treatments,” said Sylvia Jones, deputy premier of Ontario and minister of health. “Laurentis’ donation to help establish the Silber Family Theranostics Centre at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre will drive Ontario-made innovation and connect more people to world-class cancer care, close to home.”
Ontario is a global leader in medical isotopes which support 8,500 Canadian jobs and save lives around the world. With major refurbishments underway at the Darlington, Bruce and potentially Pickering nuclear generating stations, along with the construction of the first small modular reactor being built at Darlington, Ontario is well positioned to reach its goal of doubling isotope production over the next four years to grow its share of the fast-expanding isotope market.
To support the government’s plan to protect Ontario, the province’s first-ever integrated energy plan is laying the groundwork to expand the province’s nuclear advantage and deliver on its life sciences strategy. The plan features the importance of boosting isotope production, securing supply chains and building the skilled workforce needed at the province’s nuclear reactors, research facilities and other specialized companies to ensure Ontario remains competitive and resilient in the rapidly growing global isotope market.
Quick facts
- More than 247,000 Canadians are diagnosed with cancer each year, and two of every five Canadians will develop cancer during their lifetime, increasing the demand for precision radiopharmaceuticals and large-scale production of medical isotopes.
- The Ontario government recently announced the Nuclear Isotope Innovation Council of Ontario (NIICO), a new expert advisory panel that will help leverage Ontario’s world-class nuclear fleet to double the number of medical isotopes produced in the province by 2030.
- Life-saving medical isotopes continue to be one of the most consequential tools doctors have available to diagnose and treat cancer over the past century, and many of these isotopes are now coming from Ontario’s nuclear generating stations.
- Laurentis recently announced they are set to begin producing therapeutic isotopes Y-90 and Lu-177 at OPG’s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.
- UHN has already treated over 180 cancer patients with radiopharmaceuticals that use the Lu-177 isotope.
- Since 2018, the government has invested over $2 billion into Ontario’s research sector, including $15.5M to expand the production of isotopes at McMaster University’s Nuclear Reactor to 24 hrs a day, seven days a week, as stated in the 2025 Ontario Budget.
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