University Sains Malaysia, USM will become host to the country’s first nuclear pharmacy center, which is now in the planning stage of development.

The nuclear pharmacy center will be jointly developed by USM and a Japanese multinational company, Sumitomo and will cost around RM30 million. Sumitomo is a reputable company with a wide range of business interests throughout its worldwide operation.

The setting up of the center will boost USM’s drive as an Apex university, a status that recognizes the university as the premier candidate to break into the world’s top 50 universities by the year 2020.

USM is ranked at 309 in the latest THE-QS World 200 Best Universities, released end of 2008. Getting into the top 50 universities list will not be an easy job for them.

USM was announced as the country’s first Apex university last September, edging out a host of other contenders, including favorite University Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Apex, which stands for Accelerated Program for Excellence, is granted to promising Malaysian universities which can potentially compete with other top universities in the world.

Nuclear pharmacy is a field dedicated to the use of radioactive materials for specific medical procedures. It involves the compounding and dispensing of the said materials to be implemented for diagnosis and treatment of specific diseases, such as cancer.