OAK RIDGE, TN -- Technology and equipment born out of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge facilities will soon be used to aid in the treatment of prostate cancer, under a recently signed agreement.

The agreement between DOE and Atlanta-based Theragenics Corporation allows the company access to DOE's Cold War and energy research assets for the purpose of further developing Theragenics' TheraSeed(R) product.

TheraSeed is used for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. A key raw material in the rice-sized seeds is Palladium-103 (Pd103), which is the radioisotope supplying TheraSeed's therapeutic radiation. With the use of DOE's unique equipment and technology, Theragenics hopes to enhance the uses of Pd103, strengthening its current use in prostate cancer treatment and expanding its use to treat all solid, localized cancers.

"This agreement will increase access to an important new cancer therapy," said DOE Secretary Bill Richardson. "DOE has long been known as a protector of our country's national security. In addition, since 1946 we have supported the development and application of medical isotopes for diagnosis and therapy, and with this partnership, we hope to expand our role in our nation's fight against cancer."

The agreement is part of DOE's ongoing "reindustrialization" effort. Since mid-1996, DOE, with the assistance of the privately led Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET), has worked to attract private businesses and industries to the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). What makes this business park unique is its history. The site, known in the past as simply K-25, was constructed as part of the Manhattan Project, the government's secret plan to develop the atomic bomb that ended World War II. Now this 1,500-acre technology park is thriving with 22 private companies located there, providing more than 800 private-sector jobs.

The agreement with Theragenics allows DOE to take its reindustrialization project to the next level. Theragenics will be the first company to locate on a parcel of government-owned land outside the ETTP enclosure, known as ED-1. With the help of CROET, DOE is working to create a free-standing industrial park there.

"DOE's primary objective with the reindustrialization project is to accelerate cleanup efforts at the former gaseous diffusion plant, K-25," said James C. Hall, DOE's Oak Ridge Operations Manager. "We're doing this by leasing out valuable space and equipment at ETTP and now at ED-1, and using those profits to fund cleanup."

To date, the project has saved taxpayers more than $824 million in cleanup costs. Another integral part of DOE's Oak Ridge program is the creation of new private-sector jobs.

"For the past 50 years, many of the people in this region have dedicated their lives to helping our country through their hard work in the Oak Ridge plants," said Hall. "Now that the direction and needs of our nation have changed, these jobs are decreasing. And instead of simply walking away from the people who stood behind our country for half a century, we're working hard to return new jobs to the region."

Theragenics plans to create 240 new jobs within the next three years and spend an estimated $25 million in building its one-of-a-kind plant, facilities, and equipment.

"We're going to be putting people to work. I need the talent and expertise found in Oak Ridge to make this a success," said M. Christine Jacobs, the company's chairman, president, and chief executive officer. " This is not just an R&D and manufacturing venture, it's a homerun. And every time we build an extension, it's extremely sophisticated. There's no other facility like the one we built in Georgia and there will be no other facility like the one we're building in Oak Ridge."

"This is just the beginning of what we can do," said Jacobs. "With the unique capabilities found in Oak Ridge, Theragenics will now be able to explore the treatment of a broad array of solid, localized tumors in the head, neck, eyes, brain, lungs and other sites; and as our business grows, so will our possibilities in Oak Ridge."