In this way, the largest Croatian research centre in sciences and science applications, will be able to provide Croatia and the region with radiopharmaceuticals.
Cyclotrons can be used to treat cancer. Ion beams from cyclotrons can be used, as in proton therapy, to penetrate the body and kill tumors by radiation damage, while minimizing damage to healthy tissue along their path. Cyclotron beams can be used to bombard other atoms to produce short-lived positron-emitting isotopes suitable for PET imaging.
The old cyclotron was set up in the institute in 1962.