On Dec. 6, 2023, the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) announced they had completed its first commercial shipment of no-carrier-added lutetium-177 (NCA Lu-177) for human use and was providing weekly deliveries to Novartis for use in cancer treatments. These shipments were a significant milestone in a yearslong development project by researchers at MURR.

The MU Research Reactor is the sole producer in the United States of NCA Lu-177 for cancer treatment. Researchers at MU first identified the potential of the lutetium isotope as a treatment for cancer nearly 25 years ago.