Exploring the Frontiers of Science

Friday, July 12, 2024

At the heart of scientific innovation in Canada is TRIUMF, the nation's particle accelerator centre.

Canada's Particle Accelerator Centre

At the heart of scientific innovation in Canada is TRIUMF, the nation's particle accelerator centre. TRIUMF is located on UBC’s campus and is home to the world’s largest cyclotron of its kind. For over 50 years, it has served as a hub of discovery and innovation, leading Canadian scientists on an exploration of the universe's fundamental forces and characteristics.

“In addition to our on-site community in Vancouver, we welcome over 1,000 users – visiting scientists and teams that arrive at TRIUMF to use our world-unique facilities to pursue their own scientific endeavours,” says Stuart Shepherd, Head of Communications at TRIUMF.

Global Collaboration and the Role of BCNET

“TRIUMF acts as Canada’s portal to international Big Science, a conduit through which Canadian physics can take center position on the global stage,” says Shepherd. “Our communities work internationally, building and installing particle accelerator tech at other world-leading laboratories; providing highly qualified personnel to contribute to or lead experiments at organizations like CERN; and opening new and exciting career opportunities for Canadian STEM leaders to traverse beyond Canada’s borders.”

TRIUMF's partnership with CERN, particularly with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is a collaboration that involves building and maintaining elements of the ATLAS detector and the infrastructure for handling the massive data output from the LHC.

“Through a collaboration between TRIUMF and SFU, Vancouver is home to an ATLAS Tier-1 data centre, a massive data storage centre that receives and archives petabytes of data sent directly via fibre optic cabling from CERN in Switzerland!” says Shepherd.

BCNET plays a key role in these collaborations by providing the critical networking infrastructure that allows TRIUMF to share these vast amounts of data with researchers worldwide. BCNET's Advanced Research and Education Network not only supports high-speed data transfers but also offers enhanced security and monitoring, ensuring that TRIUMF's research can proceed without interruption. BCNET facilitates procurement, training, and cybersecurity services, enabling TRIUMF to maintain its operations smoothly. This includes connecting TRIUMF with CANARIE and other National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), fostering deeper collaboration across Canada and around the world.

"TRIUMF is a cornerstone of scientific innovation in Canada,” says Bala Kathiresan, President and CEO of BCNET. “Their pioneering work in particle physics, medical isotopes, and next-generation technologies epitomizes the kind of cutting-edge research that BCNET is proud to support. It's a privilege to have TRIUMF as a member of BCNET, and we are committed to continuing to strengthen and improve the advanced network infrastructure and services that enable their groundbreaking discoveries."

Innovations in Medical Isotopes

One area of note is TRIUMF's work with medical isotopes, which has significant implications for cancer treatment. Scientists at TRIUMF are currently developing isotope-based therapies that will deliver localized radiation to cancer cells, potentially revolutionizing cancer treatment.

“TRIUMF was first imagined as a subatomic physics facility, one specifically designed to produce ‘mesons,’ which are short-lived particles that can only be created in particle accelerators,” says Shepherd. “However, the lab’s early research community quickly realized that the particle accelerators they had built could be used to produce isotopes – and many useful for a variety of purposes, including for life sciences and healthcare.”

These isotopes, combined with biological molecules, can target specific cells in the body, allowing for precise imaging and diagnosis through PET scans. However, producing sufficient quantities of these isotopes, particularly alpha-emitters, remains a challenge.

“Historically, alpha-emitting isotopes have only been able to be generated from nuclear waste or deprecated nuclear weapons – just enough for a handful of clinical trials per year, and nowhere near enough to validate and begin using,” explains Shepherd. “It was not until a few short years ago that we realized we could be producing them using particle accelerators.”

This is where TRIUMF's unique cyclotron capabilities offer a solution, with the potential to produce over 100 times the current global production of one alpha-emitter of particular promise, actinium-225.

“This could help us revolutionize the treatment of cancer and other diseases,” says Shepherd.

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

Strong support from government , including the recent announcement of a historic investment of $399.8M in the federal budget, have provided support for the development of new facilities, such as the Institute for Advanced Medical Isotopes (IAMI) and the Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory, which will enhance TRIUMF's research capabilities.

With new funding in place, TRIUMF is poised to expand its research and impact, opening doors of opportunity for the team. Shepherd shares that some future projects include ramping up production of cancer-killing isotopes and using high-precision and high-sensitivity particle detectors for new applications like water quality monitoring for Indigenous communities or early forest-fire detection.

“Thanks to TRIUMF, we have a deeper, richer understanding of the universe; we have new and exciting tools in our toolkit for fighting cancer and other diseases; and we are allowing Canada to punch far above its weight on the international science stage,” says Shepherd.

BCNET News