STATEWIDE, (WOWO) — Indiana has become a key production hub for cancer-fighting radiopharmaceuticals.

There are more than a dozen places in the state doing the work, including Purdue’s College of Pharmacy in West Lafayette.

Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice Kara Weatherman explains that small amounts of radioactive material are combined with medicine to target and treat cancer.

Because the materials break down fast, it’s important that the drugs are made and delivered quickly… which is fueling the demand for specially trained radiopharmacists.