NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes has been awarded $15 million in a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), the company announced today.

According to a release, the company will use the funds to further advance its current neutron capture technology, which enables non-uranium based production of the important medical radioisotope Mo-99. The funds will also be used in continuing development of enhancements for the FDA-approved and commercially available RadioGenix System.

“We greatly appreciate this new cooperative agreement award and the continued financial and technical support provided by DOE/NNSA, which will help NorthStar expand Mo-99 production capacity and efficiency, as well as support enhancements to the RadioGenix System to continue optimizing utility in radiopharmacies,” NorthStar CEO Stephen Merrick said in a statement.

The DOE/NNSA will match NorthStar funding dollar for dollar, with the current agreement capped at $30 million total in funds from both parties.