The Lead4Life research program is receiving a €5 million PPP grant from Health~Holland for the development of lead-212-based radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. The initiative by KWF Kankerbestrijding, NRG PALLAS, FAST, and Oncode Institute will start in 2026. With this public-private partnership, the Netherlands is taking an important step toward a strong international position in the development and application of a new generation of radiopharmaceutical cancer treatments.

Lead4Life focuses on making pharmaceutical-grade lead-212 available and on developing the technologies needed to apply these radiopharmaceuticals safely and effectively in (pre)clinical research and ultimately in treatment. Because production, technology, and clinical application are highly interdependent, this development requires a programmatic and collaborative approach.

Working together to accelerate progress toward clinical application
Within Lead4Life, academic researchers, companies, healthcare providers, and patient representatives work closely together. By connecting these parties at an early stage, a coherent development route is created in which new lead-212 radiopharmaceuticals can move more quickly and purposefully from the laboratory to the patient.

Carla van Gils, Director of KWF Cancer Relief: “Radiopharmaceuticals offer promising new treatment options for people with cancer and are an important focus area within KWF’s Medicines spearhead. With Lead4Life, we are bringing together researchers, companies, healthcare providers, and patient representatives and taking a first, solid step toward the clinical application of innovative radiopharmaceuticals based on lead-212.”

The program contributes to new treatment options for people with cancer and strengthens the Dutch economy. By accelerating innovation in SMEs, attracting national and international business activity, and creating high-quality jobs, the Netherlands is building on its unique nuclear infrastructure and strengthening its position as a European hub for radiopharmaceutical development and production.

The Lead4Life program
The Lead4Life program consists of two parts:

– Availability of lead-212
Establishing a reliable, non-exclusive production and supply chain for lead-212 and the necessary pharmaceutical-grade precursors.

– Development of supporting technologies
Technologies for clinically responsible application, such as dosimetry, imaging, radiation protection, waste management, and radiobiological substantiation.

Combining these creates a complete innovation chain that enables researchers and companies to bring new lead-212 radiopharmaceuticals to (pre)clinical application more quickly. Alexander Turkin (PhD), Business Development Manager at Oncode Institute: “By participating in this program as a valorization partner, we are strengthening the bridge between fundamental research and application. In the future, we see many strong synergies for jointly developing new treatment strategies, in which our expertise in molecular biology can play an important role.”

Why lead-212?
Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs that deliver radioactive radiation very precisely to cancer cells, causing as little damage as possible to healthy tissue. Existing radiopharmaceuticals often use beta emitters, such as lutetium-177. These are already being used successfully in the treatment of prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors, among other things.

Lead-212 acts as a source of alpha radiation, emitting higher-energy radiation within a very small area. This makes it potentially more effective in killing cancer cells, while maintaining precision. This offers the prospect of better treatment outcomes, with possible gains in life extension and perhaps even cure. This could lead to a significant improvement in treatment options, particularly for difficult-to-treat forms of cancer.

With the current HFR reactor and the future PALLAS reactor in Petten, the Netherlands has unique infrastructure and expertise to become a leading global producer of innovative and widely applicable radiopharmaceuticals.

Call for proposals and matchmaking
To implement Lead4Life, KWF will open a call for proposals later this year for public-private partnership projects that contribute to a coherent and competitive production and supply chain for lead-212.

To support the formation of consortia and promote substantive coherence between projects, the independent expertise center FAST will guide the submission process through an information session and a matchmaking process.

Benien Vingerhoed, director of FAST: “The strength of Lead4Life lies in connecting all links in the chain early and intelligently. By supporting coordination from FAST and bringing parties together via the NUCMED-NL collaboration hub, we are jointly accelerating the route of promising lead-212 radiopharmaceuticals to the clinic. In this way, we are not only enabling new cancer treatments for patients, but also strengthening the Dutch innovation ecosystem and our international position in radiopharmaceutical development.”

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Online information session & Q&A
Wednesday, March 4, 3:30–5:00 p.m.

Explanation of the Lead4Life program, the financing options, and Health~Holland’s conditions for public-private partnerships.

Register: Online information session Lead4Life – FAST

Matchmaking event
Wednesday afternoon, April 8, 2026

Public and private parties will come together to form consortia and share and further develop project ideas.

Register: Lead4Life matchmaking – FAST

This will be followed by the Launch of the Strategic Research Agenda for TRT that afternoon. Register: Launch of the Strategic Research Agenda for TRT – FAST

Marjolijn Droog, Executive Director Medical Isotope Solutions, NRG PALLAS: “Lead-212 has the potential to have a meaningful impact on cancer treatment. With the construction of the new reactor for producing medical isotopes in Petten, the Netherlands is making a substantial investment that will enable Lead4Life, together with academic and private partners, to bring innovative cancer treatments to the clinic. At the same time, the program is building the essential supply chain and supporting technology to ensure a reliable chain, from raw material to end product. Our priority is to ensure scalability, affordability, and continuity on a non-exclusive basis, so that these therapies become widely available.”