The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) provided a detailed update on India's advancements in nuclear technology applications for medical and agricultural sectors through a parliamentary reply.
Nuclear Technology in Medical Sector
DAE extensively uses nuclear medicine and radioisotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, particularly in cancer care. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) regularly produces radioisotopes and ready-to-use radiopharmaceuticals, supplied through Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology (BRIT) to nuclear medicine centers across India. Significant efforts have been made toward indigenous development of radiopharmaceuticals to provide cost-effective alternatives to imported products.
Radioisotopes are indigenously produced through research reactors and cyclotrons, with specific isotopes like Ruthenium-106, Caesium-137, and Strontium-90 recovered through reprocessing of high-level liquid waste. DAE operates clinical patient services at Radiation Medicine Centre (RMC), Mumbai, and Radiation Medicine Research Centre (RMRC), Kolkata, which became operational in January 2024 serving Eastern and North-Eastern regions with advanced nuclear medicine services.
DAE has developed several key nuclear medicine ligands and targeted therapeutics, including peptide-based ligand PSMA-617 for prostate cancer therapy (177Lu-PSMA-617) and PSMA-11 as an import substitute for production of 68Ga-PSMA11 used in prostate cancer diagnosis. The department manufactures and supplies approximately 18 different types of cold kits for preparing Technetium-99m radiopharmaceuticals used for early diagnosis of diseases affecting major organs and various cancers.
A comprehensive list of 26 DAE-RPC approved radiopharmaceuticals and allied products includes: 99mTc-Hynic-TOC and 99mTc-Hynic-TATE for neuroendocrine tumor imaging; 99mTc-HSA-Nanocolloid for sentinel node detection; 68Ga-DOTA-TOC and 68Ga-PSMA-11 for tumor imaging; 177Lu-DOTA-TATE and 177Lu-DOTA-NOC for neuroendocrine cancer therapy; 177Lu-PSMA-617 for prostate cancer therapy; 90Y-DOTA-TATE for neuroendocrine cancer therapy; and various other products for bone pain palliation, liver cancer therapy, and lymphoma treatment.
Nuclear Technology in Agriculture Sector
DAE has developed 72 improved crop varieties using radiation-induced mutagenesis along with cross breeding, released and notified for commercial cultivation in collaboration with ICAR and State Agricultural Universities. These varieties span multiple crops including rice, mustard, sesame, groundnut, uradbean, mungbean, pigeonpea, sorghum, cowpea, wheat, soybean, sunflower, banana, linseed and jute. The improved varieties feature higher yield, larger seed size, better quality traits, early maturity, climate resilience (drought, heat, salinity tolerance), and disease resistance.
DAE promotes radiation technologies for food preservation by developing standard operating procedures, preparing standards and guidelines, developing improved radiation facilities, and transferring radiation-based food preservation technologies to private entrepreneurs for commercialization. Radiation processing extends shelf life of perishable produce, reduces post-harvest losses, enables chemical-free preservation of grains and spices, and helps meet international phytosanitary requirements for export. Currently, 42 food irradiation facilities have been commissioned nationwide across government and private sectors.
Cobalt-60 based irradiators are used for sterilization of medical products and shelf-life extension of agriculture & marine products, while caesium is used for blood irradiation in blood irradiators. DAE technologies are available for transfer to private entrepreneurs at nominal fee on non-exclusive basis. The government has announced incentives under 'Integrated Cold Chain & Value Addition Infrastructure' of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) for setting up multiproduct food irradiation units across the nation in 2024-25.