PNRI opens new Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory
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PNRI Nuclear Services Division Chief Dr. Preciosa Corazon Pabroa and Radiation Protection Services Section Head Ms. Kristine Marie Romallosa-Dean (2nd row, 5th and 4th from left, respectively) joins the RPSS staff and other guests at the new Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory inaugurated on June 28, 2022.
PNRI opens new Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory
To better serve the needs of workers occupationally exposed to radiation across the country, the DOST - Philippine Nuclear Research Institute has recently inaugurated its new Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) on June 28, 2022 at the PNRI compound in Quezon City.
As part of the National Measurement Infrastructure System, the SSDL establishes and maintains the national standards for ionizing radiation measurement in the Philippines
These standards are necessary for the calibration of field instruments used to detect radiation in workplaces such as hospitals or factories.
The new facility will allow for more capabilities and bigger laboratories to help address existing and future customer needs.
Among these customers are professionals in the medical and industrial sectors who are working with facilities involving radioactive materials and radiation-generating equipment, such as x-ray machines, linear accelerators, and density gauges, among others.
The PNRI-SSDL now has four irradiation rooms and has new facilities for various radiation qualities: neutron, beta, photon (Cs-137), narrow spectrum series radiation qualities, and internal dosimetry.
Among the new upgrades include a) an automated and high intensity Cs-137 calibration system, b) constant potential X-ray irradiation system for low energy protection level and diagnostic level calibrations, c) whole body counter for internal dose monitoring and d) beta irradiation system.
The new facility will allow for more capabilities and bigger laboratories to help address existing and future customer needs. The PNRI-SSDL now has four irradiation rooms and has new facilities for various radiation qualities: neutron, beta, photon (Cs-137), narrow spectrum series radiation qualities, and internal dosimetry.
PNRI inaugurates Radiation Research Center in QC
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PNRI inaugurates Radiation Research Center in QC
The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) inaugurated the Radiation Research Center in Quezon City on 29 June 2022.
Located inside the PNRI compound, the Radiation Research Center will offer innovations for a wide range of radiation research, such as immediate and late effects of radiation; radiation oncology; drug discovery and development; DNA repair radiation, dose-lethality and mitigation, cellular radiobiology; tumor radiotherapy, among others.
The inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremony, spearheaded by PNRI Atomic Research Division and Health Physics Research Section, was led by the DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña.
“I am certain that the exceptional innovations in radiation research that will be produced in the RRC will be very useful in translating results from the laboratory bench to the clinical setting,” Sec. de la Peña said, expressing confidence in the wide opportunities RRC can provide in the future.
The DOST Secretary also pointed out that the inaugurated research center funded by DOST and its line agency, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, will be contributory in the efforts on decreasing the overall effects of cancer and other radiation-induced morbidities to the Philippine population and support the country’s battle against cancer and various effects of radiation exposure, closing his message with congratulations and applause to the team behind the nuclear S&T project.
PNRI completed the establishment last December 2019, and this inaugurated facility is expected to play a key role in developing the Philippines’ expertise in radiation research through training of new generation researchers and young scientists.
Façade of the newly inaugurated Radiation Research Center in DOST-PNRI
Ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Radiation Research Center commenced by DOST Sec. Fortunato T. de la Peña (fourth from left)
From left: PNRI Deputy Director Dr. Vallerie Ann Samson, DOST Sec. de la Peña, Project Leader Dr. Chitho Feliciano, and PNRI Atomic Research Division Chief Dr. Lucille Abad)
RRC Staff (from right): Mr John Paul Cabahug CIP-Senior SRS/Medical Physicist, Ms. Shalaine Tatu Senior SRS/Medical Physicist, Dr. Chitho Feliciano Proj. Leader & Principal Investigator, Mr. Bernard Isaiah Lo SRS I/Licensed Chemist, & Mr. Jomar Pantua, Proj. Asst.)
PH nuclear agency reopens nuclear reactor training facility
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DOST-PNRI’s famous dome which is actually the nuclear reactor with a zero-power configuration and can only be used for training and education purposes, and not for power generation
DOST-PNRI senior staff with Deputy Director Dr. Vallerie Ann Samson and Cong. Mark Cojuangco with the PNRI Reactor Team
PH nuclear agency reopens nuclear reactor training facility
The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) began today the loading of TRIGA nuclear fuel in the core of the Philippine Research Reactor-1 Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education, and Research (PRR-1 SATER), signaling the start of the nuclear commissioning of the PRR-1 SATER as the country’s sole nuclear reactor training facility.
The TRIGA fuel is a uranium zirconium hydride alloy manufactured by the General Atomics from the USA and is well-known for its inherent safety.
Meanwhile, the PRR-1 facility was shut down in 1988, leaving the country with no operating nuclear facility for the last 34 years. The commissioning of the PRR-1 SATER is a milestone for the country as the facility will provide significant support in re-establishing nuclear capabilities in the Philippines.
"This demonstrates that PNRI can handle nuclear materials. We've been handling it for the past 50, 60 years," said PNRI Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla.
The PRR-1 SATER has the following objectives as a nuclear facility:
• Support nuclear manpower development
• Accommodate local access to an operating nuclear facility
• Train reactor operators, users, and regulators
• Engage stakeholders in nuclear and reactor engineering
• Repurpose available resources of the historical PRR-1 facility
Once commissioned, the facility operators will apply for full operating license as it opens its doors to the research and academic community who will be given access the facility. The project was first conceptualized in 2014, but actual work in the facility began in 2017. It is expected to be fully operational by 2023. While not yet fully operational, the facility will be open for technical visits and awareness seminars on nuclear science and technology.
Classified as subcritical and with zero-power configuration, the PRR-1 SATER is inherently safe as a facility for nuclear education and research. It will support PNRI-initiated nuclear education programs that are being offered in UP Diliman since 2019 and Mapua University since 2020. Nuclear-related courses that can be supported by the facility include nuclear reactor engineering, neutron physics, reactor physics, nuclear safety, and radiation dosimetry, among others.
The fuel is being lowered into the core by PNRI’s nuclear reactor staff, guided by a digital monitor
PRR-1 SATER Project leader Dr. Alvie Astronomo shows to Cong. Mark Cojuangco a replica of a nuclear fuel rod, similar to what was used in today’s reactor fueling. Cong. Cojuangco is one of the main advocates for nuclear power in the country.
PNRI partners with De La Salle for nuclear med degree program
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Officials from DOST-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) and De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) during the inauguration and blessing of the latter’s nuclear medicine laboratories and facilities. From left to right: CMIT Dean Dr. Cheyen Molon, DLSMHSI Vice Chancellor for Academics Dr. Juanito Cabanias, PNRI Deputy Director Dr. Vallerie Samson, Mr. Roel Loteriña and Ms. Christine Singayan of the PNRI Nuclear Training Center, DOST Balik Scientist Dr. Thomas Neil Pascual, BSNMT Program Director Dr. Susan Olavidez, and DLSMHSI Chancellor Dr. Antonio Ramos
PNRI partners with De La Salle for nuclear med degree program
Playing a crucial role in formally bringing nuclear medicine to the academe, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) continues to work with the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) in the development of its Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine Technology program.
The institute’s College of Medical Imaging and Therapy (CMIT) started to offer the degree program in 2019 with a first batch of 38 students – a leading initiative towards building up university courses in nuclear medicine not only in the Philippines but in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The BS Nuclear Medicine Technology is a pioneering program in the Philippines. For us to offer it first is already a blessing, and although it is quite concerning for parents to enroll their children in an unknown field, our team alongside our college will ensure the quality of education despite being the first,” said CMIT Dean Dr. Cheyen Molon.
Still one of the country’s frontiers in the field of medical imaging, nuclear medicine involves radiopharmaceuticals emitting low doses of radiation, which are used by specialized equipment to produce images of vital organs. These images are necessary for early diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, including cancer and heart problems, among others.
Read more: PNRI partners with De La Salle for nuclear med degree program
