Calgary is getting its first cyclotron to expedite medical testing and cancer treatments.

A cyclotron speeds up tiny charged particles and shoots them at a target to make radioactive materials for medical scans and treatments.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says Edmonton has two cyclotrons and that a third in Calgary will speed up testing, which is expected to triple in Alberta over the next 15 years.

The Calgary cyclotron is part of $71 million in government and donor funding for a new radiopharmaceutical centre at Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre.

The province said on Tuesday it will be providing $64 million over three years to complete construction of the centre, which will also support the development of next-generation radioactive medications.

The facility is expected to be operational by 2029.

Timing is critical with radiopharmaceuticals, LaGrange told reporters on Tuesday.

The two AHS cyclotrons in Edmonton currently produce radiopharmaceuticals for medical use across the province. One is located at the University of Alberta’s South Campus, the other is at the Cross Cancer Institute.

The issue is that the radioisotopes have relatively short half-lives of 109 minutes, and that limited lifespan is complicated by the current three-hour drive to Calgary.

“When it comes to these medicines, every second counts. They begin to decay as soon as they are produced,” LaGrange said.

“Right now, every dose used in southern Alberta has to come from Edmonton. Producing them here in Calgary means less time in transit and more reliable supply for patients.”

The expansion comes as the world of cancer treatments is rapidly changing. One of the treatments — theronaustics — uses a radiopharmaceutical product produced in the cyclotron as an internal, microscopic GPS to track and treat some cancers.

With files from Quinn Ohler and Karen Bartko, Global News