- Precision treatments tackling the hardest-to-treat cancers set to be produced from hundreds of tonnes of reprocessed uranium from nuclear reactors
- Patients to benefit as 15-year deal agreed between cutting-edge biotech firm Bicycle Therapeutics and the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
- Government is backing the UK’s life sciences innovators to make the boldest ideas a reality that helps save lives, unlocks growth, and drives national renewal
Tens of thousands of doses of cutting-edge cancer therapies, which could help save lives and tackle some of the hardest-to-treat forms of cancer, are set to be produced from hundreds of tonnes of reprocessed uranium, generated from historic processing of spent nuclear reactor fuel. This work is being made possible thanks to a landmark agreement between the cutting-edge biotech firm Bicycle Therapeutics, and the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, being announced today (Tuesday 16 December). Bicycle was co-founded by one of the luminaries of British science, Sir Greg Winter, who was honoured with the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2018.
Bicycle will use a groundbreaking process developed by United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) to harvest the valuable medical isotope lead-212 from reprocessed uranium. A tiny amount of lead-212’s parent material – equivalent to a single drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool – is extracted through a series of processes, and through radioactive decay. An even tinier amount of lead-212 is then taken for use in radiopharmaceuticals: a type of precision medicine that could help treat some of the cancers that conventional treatments struggle to tackle.
The UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is set to provide Bicycle with access to up to 400 tonnes of material, in the form of reprocessed uranium, over 15 years. Reprocessed uranium will continually regenerate the isotopes required for this process, providing an enduring source of tens of thousands of doses of lead-212, for lifesaving precision therapies, each year.
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:
Cancer is a disease that affects millions worldwide, and tears too many families apart. Breakthroughs in medical science are giving more cancer patients and their loved ones hope, and this unique partnership could help take that work even further.
Turning nuclear material into cutting-edge cancer treatments sounds like science fiction – but thanks to the brilliance of scientists, researchers and doctors, it could be a life-saving reality. Work like this shows exactly why we’re determined to support our life sciences innovators to make groundbreaking new treatments possible.
Bicycle Therapeutics CEO Kevin Lee, Ph.D., said:
As a UK-based biotech company, we are incredibly grateful to the UK Government for their recognition of Bicycle’s Nobel-prize winning science and potential to create radiopharmaceutical cancer therapies from up to 400 tonnes of reprocessed uranium over 15 years. We are proud to be part of the British life sciences ecosystem and collaborate to help people and support economic growth. This is a significant milestone, bringing us closer to our goal of helping patients live longer and live well.
This builds on the government’s wider work to transform cancer care across the NHS. It is overhauling the health service to catch cancer sooner and save lives – expanding diagnostic capacity and investing in new technology to ensure patients can access timely, high-quality care. This includes cutting cancer waiting times, with 110,000 more patients being diagnosed or having cancer ruled out within 28 days from an urgent GP or screening service referral between November 2024 to October 2025 compared to the previous year.
Health Innovation Minister, Dr Zubir Ahmed, said:
Every breakthrough that gives patients and their loved ones new hope matters deeply – and this extraordinary partnership could be truly life-changing for people facing some of the hardest-to-treat cancers.
I’m immensely proud that we’re backing partnerships like this, showcasing how British innovation can transform lives. By turning nuclear material into precision cancer treatments, we’re opening new frontiers in the fight against this deadly disease.
This is exactly the kind of bold thinking that will help us build an NHS fit for the future – harnessing life sciences potential to improve care, save lives, and drive economic growth across the UK.
Julianne Antrobus, Chief Executive Officer at UKNNL, said:
Our purpose is nuclear science to benefit society, and this partnership is a perfect example of this in action. We’re proud to be part of the nuclear and life sciences sectors coming together, forging innovative collaborations that tackle some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges in transformative ways. It’s incredible to see UKNNL’s expertise at the forefront of the global fight against cancer. Decades of research by our dedicated teams has made unique partnerships like this possible, and I look forward to seeing our work with Bicycle and the NDA progress.
NDA Group CEO, David Peattie, said:
We’re proud to make part of our uranium inventory available to Bicycle, enabling the development of innovative, life-saving treatments.
As the organisation entrusted with the safe and secure management, storage, and disposal of the UK’s radioactive materials and waste—a responsibility we take extremely seriously—this collaboration demonstrates how we can go beyond our core mission.
By leveraging our unique capabilities, expertise, and resources, we’re helping to advance wider UK Government ambitions and create a lasting positive legacy for the nation.
Radiopharmaceuticals work by delivering radiotherapy directly to cancer cells: destroying tumours while reducing the chances of side effects. This could help the treatment of cancers that conventional therapies can sometimes struggle to tackle, including prostate cancer, and neuroendocrine cancers that can affect organs like the gut and pancreas.
Bicycle will extract lead-212 with a novel radioisotope generator, developed exclusively for them by medical isotope experts Spectron Rx.
Bicycle Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge (UK) developing a novel class of medicines, referred to as Bicycle® molecules, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics.
All of this complements the £20 million funding announced, last month, for research into lead-212 extraction being conducted by UKNNL and Medicines Discovery Catapult. The government is determined to unleash a golden era of nuclear technology and innovation, and today’s news comes hot on the heels of government backing for Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast and small modular reactors in North Wales.
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