The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health broke ground this week on a $62 million cyclotron expansion in Madison, a project officials say will bring the first modern alpha-particle cyclotron of its kind installed anywhere in the United States to the city. The 13,000-square-foot facility is designed to boost production of medical radioisotopes used in cancer imaging and treatment, with completion expected by May 2028.
According to UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the expansion will add two cyclotrons capable of increasing the university's current radioisotope production capacity anywhere from two- to eight-fold, depending on the isotope being made. Among the new capabilities will be production of Astatine-211, described by the university as a rare and short-lived alpha-emitting radioisotope used in cancer research. The project was first reported locally by WKOW.
Combining Diagnosis and Treatment in One Building
The expansion centers on theranostics, a field that the university describes as combining pinpoint diagnostic imaging with targeted radiation therapies meant to seek out and destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue, per UW School of Medicine and Public Health. The new facility is intended to let UW-Madison create radionuclides and treat patients in the same building, according to WPR.
WPR also reports that targeted radionuclide therapy remains in the clinical-trial phase as researchers study its use against different types of cancer. Officials told the outlet that the 30-megaelectron-volt cyclotron will support isotope production, imaging, patient treatment and therapy design all at one location.
Funding Grew as the Project's Scope Expanded
The building plan has grown since it was first funded. WPR reports that in 2025, the UW Board of Regents approved an additional $13.5 million for the expansion after the university had already secured $48.5 million, and that the National Institutes of Health separately awarded UW-Madison a $10 million grant for the project. The expanded building will add two floors above the cyclotron to house additional laboratories and clinical space, the station's report notes.
Cost estimates for the project vary by source. UW School of Medicine and Public Health and WPR both describe it as a $62 million expansion, while Isthmus reports the expanded project carries a price tag between $77 million and $80 million. The dossier does not clarify what accounts for the gap between the two figures.
Imaging Gains Beyond Cancer Care
Officials say the facility's reach extends past oncology. Per UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the expanded capacity is expected to help researchers and doctors detect, track and treat Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart conditions, tissue injury and chronic pain. A related university initiative notes that theranostics pairs PET molecular imaging with targeted radionuclide therapy, giving doctors a tool for both diagnosis and treatment, according to the UW theranostics and particle therapy initiative.
That same initiative states that UW researchers have developed dosimetry technologies allowing doctors to use theranostic images to personalize the prescription of a targeted radionuclide therapy for individual patients. A peer-reviewed review published on the National Institutes of Health's PubMed Central platform notes that targeted alpha emitters are in current development for several potential oncologic indications, building on earlier success with targeted beta emitters in neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer, according to a study hosted on PMC.
A Decade of Shipping Isotopes Nationwide
UW-Madison is not new to this work. The university has shipped radioisotopes nationally for the past decade as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy University Isotope Network, per UW School of Medicine and Public Health. WPR reports that UW-Madison currently ships radionuclides to other parts of the country so patients elsewhere can be treated.
The scale of that existing operation is significant: UW-Madison's Cyclotron Research Group ships radionuclides to about 100 institutions and laboratories annually, according to madison.com. The outlet also reports that alongside adding the two new, more-powerful cyclotrons, the university is overhauling its existing cyclotron, which has been in use since 2008.
