Divisions:
iThemba LABS
iThemba LABS provides highly specialised facilities and skilled scientific and technical personnel for research, development and training in pure and applied sub-atomic sciences and associated technologies. The latter includes fundamental studies of nuclear phenomena; applications of ion beams in materials research; the production of radionuclides; radiation biology and particle therapy; medical physics; atomic mass spectroscopy and environmental isotope studies.
iThemba LABS also houses a 27-bed hospital where cancer is treated using proton and neutron beams.
iThemba LABS has two sites, one in Faure (Cape Town) and the other at the University of Witwatersrand campus in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Infrastructure includes:
- A variable energy Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) which produces high-energy particle beams (e.g. protons between 66 MeV and 200 MeV). The SSC is augmented by two additional injector cyclotrons;
- A 6 MV Van de Graaff Accelerator equipped with a Nuclear Microprobe is used primarily for materials and biological research, and is supplemented by an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) unit as well as an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM);
- A 6 MV Tandem Accelerator located in Gauteng, which is intended for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry that is under development;
- Specialised Particle Therapy facilities, such as the Neutron Gantry for the treatment of cancer;
- Production facilities to manufacture radionuclides for both the local nuclear medicine community and the export market (hot cells, targetry stations, clean rooms); and
- Specialised detectors and spectrometers for use in experiments in nuclear physics.
Activities: 2009-2010
In support of four of the NRF’s five strategic goals, iThemba LABS plans the following activities:
Goal: Promote internationally competitive research
- Substantially improve the quality and quantity of research outputs;
- Promote international scientific research in materials and nuclear sciences by implementing peer-reviewed five-year research plans;
- Initiate and support research in cellular and clinical radiobiology and medical physics, and develop research plans in these fields; and
- Develop and produce new radiopharmaceutical products.
Goal: Grow a representative science and technology workforce
- Increase the drive for training and transformation at postgraduate level. Two hundred postgraduates are currently using the facility for higher degrees;
- Strengthen collaboration with HEIs;
- Run innovative staff development programmes to cope with the diversity of responsibilities required to operate the facility; and
- Recruit and retain skilled employees within an extremely competitive labour market in which the black skilled labour force is highly sought after and mobile.
Goal: Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms
- Complete the feasibility study for the proposed iThemba Particle Therapy Centre (iTPTC) in terms of Treasury regulations;
- Enhance the current Particle Therapy Programme to support the objectives of the iTPTC;
- Commission the Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) Ion Source donated by the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Germany;
- Upgrade the IT, electronics and instrumentation capacity;
- Expand capacity to produce and market accelerator-produced radionuclides to meet demand and provide production flexibility; and
- Develop and implement a world-class Accelerator Mass Spectrometry facility using the Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at iThemba LABS (Gauteng).
Goal: Contribute to a vibrant national innovation system
- Continue collaborations with the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA);
- Continue bilateral agreements with Hungary, Germany, Russia, Algeria, South Korea, among others; and
- Develop the South African/Conceil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN) collaborations on the assumption that funding will be available.
Challenges: 2009-2012
iThemba LABS faces the following challenges over the next four years:
- Implement the five-year research and service programmes in materials, sub-atomic sciences and radiation biology within a restricted funding environment;
- Optimise the operations and use of the facility;
- Manage the impact of ageing and obsolete equipment and infrastructure to minimise disruptions in operations;
- Launch iThemba Particle Therapy Centre (iTPTC); and
- Position the facility to respond to the sub-atomic technology needs of the next 10 years.
iThemba LABS houses a 27-bed hospital where cancer is treated using proton and neutron beams.
Human Resource, Research and Development
The facility in the Western Cape has been in operation for over 20 years. A total of 278 staff members are employed at iThemba LABS with 38 holding a PhD.
Infrastructure: Unique features and capabilities
The Western Cape facility houses a 200-MeV Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC), two injector cyclotrons (SPC1, SPC2) and a 6-MV Van de Graaff accelerator. Particle beams delivered by the accelerators are utilised by three user-groups for research, particle therapy and radionuclide production. The SSC can accelerate protons to an energy of 200 MeV. A proton with this energy can travel roughly four times around the earth in one second.
The Gauteng site houses a 6-MV Tandem Accelerator. Particle beams delivered by the accelerator are used for low energy nuclear physics, as well as for analysis techniques linked to the nuclear microprobe. The department has an Environmental Isotope Laboratory.
- Most of the infrastructure available at iThemba LABS has been development in-house.
- The infrastructure available to users within the Materials Research Department include a cryo-preparation laboratory with specialised equipment; an X-ray diffractometer (XRD); a HI-ERDA (heavy ion elastic recoil detection analysis) facility; and an AFM (atomic force microscope) used for surface imaging and nano-lithography.
- iThemba LABS houses the only high resolution magnetic spectrometer (K600) in the world for measurements with proton energies in the 66 – 200 MeV range. A 0 degree mode was recently added to expand the capabilities of the spectrometer.
- iThemba LABS houses the AFRODITE gamma-ray detector to study the shapes of atomic nuclei.
- iThemba LABS houses the only PEPT-facility (run by UCT) in the Southern hemisphere which images positron emission to study the behavior of a single particle.
Research and Development
iThemba LABS is assisting in the growth and development of the human resources available to the nuclear sector through its involvement in three structured training programmes in collaboration with local universities, namely MANuS/MatSci (masters in accelerator and nuclear science/masters in material science) with UniZul and UWC, M’SONE (masters in the science and organisation of nuclear energy) with UJ, and MARST (masters in radiation science and technology) with NWU (Mafikeng).
- iThemba LABS is contributing to knowledge generation though publications in peer-reviewed journals at a rate of roughly 25 publications per financial year.
- iThemba LABS offers the ICDL (International Computer Driving License) course to teachers and administrators from schools in the community.
- iThemba LABS, through the Community and Interaction division, interact with learners and teachers to promote an awareness and appreciation of science through interactive workshops, science shows, career days and guest lectures. The division also started the “Adopt-a-school-project: changing lives, one learner at a time”.
- iThemba LABS has been instrumental in providing Nigerian scientists at the Centre for Energy Research and Development (CERD) with an ion beam analysis facility for RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy), PIXE (proton induced x-ray emission) and HI-ERDA.
- Staff members are collaborating with researchers at the LHC in CERN on the ALICE-project.
Contribution to the Health sector
The medical radiation department at iThemba LABS has treated 512 patients using protons and 1707 patients using neutrons thus far. We have in recent years also offered treatment to patients from Germany through a collaboration with Essen University. A number of radiopharmaceuticals are delivered for use in diagnostics at local hospitals.
- iThemba LABS is the only facility in the world capable of offering both protons and neutrons for particle therapy.
- iThemba LABS in the only facility in South Africa that produce:
- accelerator-based radiopharmaceuticals such as 123I, 67Ga and 81Rb/81mKr generators used in nuclear medicine.
- The mainstream radiopharmaceuticals used for PET (positron emission tomography) studies, namely 18F-FDG and 68Ge/68Ga generators.
- iThemba LABS is the only producer in the world of
- current Good Manufacture Practise (cGMP) 68Ge/68Ga generators
- 22Na-positron sources for annihilation studies
- iThemba LABS supplies one-quarter of the world’s demand for 82Sr current and future projects