BEYOND POWER: RESEARCH NUCLEAR REACTORS DRIVING MEDICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

Elektrane (2025)  [pp. 396-403]

AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Miloš Đorđević, Otilija Keta, Đorđe Nešković, Minja Vuković

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46793/EEP25.396DJ

ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:

Research nuclear reactors, distinct from their power-generating counterparts, play a critical role in advancing science, healthcare, and industrial innovation. An overview of the types and design of research reactors will be given, highlighting their diverse functionalities and strategic importance in the global scientific infrastructure. The evolution and classification of research reactors will be presented, with a particular emphasis on their pivotal role in the medical field, especially in the production of radioisotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A focal point of the presentation will be Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), an emergent cancer treatment modality that leverages the unique neutron flux characteristic of research reactors. An exploration of reactor-based BNCT, offering a non-invasive, highly localized therapeutic approach for difficult-to-treat cancers, will be given, and how the ongoing developments make this technology more accessible and commercially viable. Additionally, the presentation will address the important role of research reactors in materials testing, nuclear education, and the development of advanced reactor technologies. A few examples of highly successful operating nuclear research reactors at worldleading university centers will be outlined, highlighting their significance not just in academia but also in fostering innovation across sectors. A brief outlook on the future of research reactors will be given, including trends in compact accelerator-driven systems and hybrid research platforms, which may reshape their use in both scientific, medical, and industrial applications, underlining the large potential that research nuclear reactors have as the instruments of innovation and cross-disciplinary impact.

KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ: 

Research nuclear reactors, healthcare, innovation, radioisotopes, BNCT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / ПРОЈЕКАТ:

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