VANCOUVER — Canadian scientists have shown they can make radioactive medicine without the headache of using aged nuclear reactors.

The new process, which could go a long way toward solving the world’s shortage of medical isotopes, uses hospital cyclotrons to make the compounds and bypasses the need for reactors.

“It’s essentially a win-win scenario for health care,” Dr. Francois Benard of the BC Cancer Agency told a news conference Monday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “We have found a practical, simple solution that can use existing infrastructure.”