Researchers race to create ultra short-lived medical isotopes

Scientists from the University of Alabama Birmingham, the University of Wisconsin, and Argonne National Laboratory are working on a new process to produce a pair of radioisotopes of the element scandium (Sc) for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The tricky bit is that the isotopes are so unstable that one must be used within four hours of creation, so the process must be extremely fast and efficient. Read more.