A Dorset company is pioneering a new technology that looks set to revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Dr Tom Wallace-Smith from Poole and Canada-based Talmon Firestone are the brains behind Astral Systems – the newest company to land on the Dorset Innovation Park in Winfrith.
And with their patented Multi-State Fusion (MSF) Reactor they are on course to helping hospitals tackle a growing backlog in cancer diagnosis and treatment caused by the Covid pandemic.
Currently UK hospitals rely on three giant nuclear power plants in Europe and South Africa for their medical isotopes, which are used to scan for cancer and to treat tumours and cancerous cells.
Nuclear plants have a shelf life and many are due to close by 2030. They must also temporarily shut down for maintenance which can cause delays in getting these potentially lifesaving isotopes to hospitals.
But thanks to Astral Systems and its MSF reactor, medical isotopes will soon be produced at a much smaller scale and more quickly.
Astral’s CEO, Talmon Firestone, explained: “We want to address real world problems today – not in 20 or 30 years’ time.
“There is a real pressing problem now that needs addressing urgently, the delay in cancer diagnosis and treatments caused by the Covid pandemic.
“Nuclear medicine has been helping to save lives for decades by enabling the medical profession to scan for cancer and directly treat tumours and cancerous cells at source.
“However, the old tech around fusion is limited in how much and how quickly it can be produced. Our system has been developed far more quickly and can produce isotopes at a much smaller scale. This means medical isotopes can be produced on smaller sites without having to rely on giant international nuclear generation fission plants.
“More than half of nuclear power plants will close by 2030 and it can take around eight years to open a new one. It took us four months to get Astral off the ground.”
Astral came about after Tom, 28, invented the MSF Reactor while studying for his PHD and working on placement in Japan at a nuclear reactor in Osaka, Japan.
After returning to the UK, his supervisor at Bristol University introduced him to businessman and scientist Talmon Firestone who has a two-decade long history in the nuclear, space and defence industries – including being a partner at NSD-Fusion GmbH, the first company to successfully commercialise a nuclear fusion technology in the mid-2000s.
Together they formed Astral in 2021 and were awarded a £1 million research grant in partnership with Bristol University to optimise and commercialise their technology while also demonstrating medical radioisotope production.
Astral has recently completed a £200,000 research contract with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) to set up their fusion reactor facility at the Dorset Innovation Park to undertake fusion materials research.
Tom has designed his own seven and a half tonne radiation proof bunker to allow him to carry out his research at the Winfrith-based innovation park.
“When I was studying for my PHD I was researching ways to make the production of neutrons produce isotopes more quickly and cost effectively,” Tom explained.
“Not only do nuclear power plants take a long time to build but there is also very limited space in which to build them. Due to the short shelf-life of medical isotopes, when there’s a shortage it means that within the week cancer treatments are postponed or cancelled.
“The MSF Reactor provides a ‘now’ solution at a much lower cost and with less environmental impact, it can alleviate shortages in the near term. This is fusion technology that can solve real world problems now.”
Astral is now bidding for another £1.5m grant from the UKAE’s Fusion Industry Programme to carry out more research. If successful, Tom and Talmon will look to open a larger site on the Dorset Innovation Park.
For Tom it’s particularly special to have found his base at “home”.
“I grew up in Poole and my parents currently live a short distance from the Dorset Innovation Park,” he said.
“This was once home to the UKAEA and it was their funding that enabled us to open our base here – it feels like we’ve come full circle. I’m very proud to have our company based in Dorset.”
The Dorset Innovation Park is owned by Dorset Council and is currently home to more than 40 businesses, employing around 1,200 people.
It’s a site that boasts companies that hail from the world of high-tech, digital, science and engineering and defence industries.
The site is also home to the Battlelab – a joint Dorset Council and MOD venture that encourages collaboration, innovation and testing to support the UK defence industry.
Astral has taken a commercial unit in the council’s Quadrant development of small-scale workshops and development space.
Due to demand, the council has recently submitted a planning application for a second phase, Quadrant 2. Subject to planning and funding approval construction of the new units will get underway in the autumn.
Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Economic Regeneration, Cllr Simon Gibson, said: “We are incredibly proud to have a site like the Dorset Innovation Park and companies such as Astral Systems based there.
“The technology Astral Systems is producing is ground-breaking and potentially lifesaving. It will surely not only have a tremendous impact on the lives of people in the UK but also around the world.”
Companies interested in the Quadrant 2 should contact either Alex Clothier – alex.clothier@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or Nick Webster – nicholas.webster@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
