A newly formed group is looking into the possibility of making Manitoba a producer of medical isotopes.

The University of Winnipeg, Acsion Industries and researchers at the Health Sciences Centre have formed Prairie-Isotope-Production-Enterprise, or PIPE for short. The not-for-profit partnership proposes to make the isotopes with an electron accelerator instead of a nuclear reactor.

Isotopes, which are vital to many medical procedures including cancer treatments, have been in short supply since a nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ont., ceased production.

"Over the next couple of years, there would be sort of proof-of-principle experiments done at the Acsion facility in Pinawa. They actually have an electron accelerator that is just ideal for this purpose," said Jeff Martin, an assistant professor of physics at the U of W, who is involved in the project.

Once PIPE can prove isotopes can be made with this method, a larger facility would be built at the university, he said.

The plan would be to provide isotopes to serve Canada's needs, but not internationally.