A digital illustration of a cancer cell under attack. wildpixel/iStock
Imagine if doctors could see exactly where cancer medicine goes inside your body, how long it stays, and whether it reaches the tumor effectively.
This could help make treatments safer and more precise, leading to better outcomes for cancer patients.
Scientists in Japan have developed a new way to do just that using tiny gold particles and a special technique called neutron activation.
This method allows doctors to track cancer medicine inside the body for longer periods, helping improve drug delivery and treatment effectiveness.
Overcoming the limitations of traditional imaging
Conventional imaging methods often use external tracers such as fluorescent dyes and radioisotopes to detect nanoparticles.
However, these tracers tend to detach from the nanoparticles during circulation, leading to inaccurate results and limited visualization.
To address this issue, researchers at Waseda University directly modified the AuNPs, making them detectable via X-rays and gamma rays without relying on external tracers.
By exposing stable gold nanoparticles (197Au) to neutron radiation, the researchers converted them into a radioactive form (198Au).
This new form emits gamma rays, which can be detected outside the body.
According to Professor Jun Kataoka from Waseda University, this technique alters the material at an atomic level without changing its chemical properties, allowing for seamless tracking without compromising the effectiveness of the nanoparticles.
Tracking cancer drug distribution with enhanced precision
To test the effectiveness of this new imaging technique, the researchers injected neutron-activated AuNPs into tumor-bearing mice.
A specialized imaging system successfully tracked the nanoparticles, confirming their ability to provide long-term monitoring of drug distribution.
Additionally, the researchers explored how this method could be used for tracking a cancer treatment drug known as astatine-211 (211At).
This radio-therapeutic drug emits alpha particles and X-rays, but its effectiveness is limited due to its short half-life of only 7.2 hours. To overcome this limitation, the team labeled 211At with the neutron-activated AuNPs, forming 211At-labeled (198Au) AuNPs.
The presence of 198Au extended the tracking capability of the drug for up to five days, thanks to its longer half-life of 2.7 days.
This breakthrough ensures that scientists can monitor the drug’s movement in the body in real time, helping improve drug safety and efficacy in cancer treatment.
The future of cancer treatment monitoring
Tracking drug delivery in real-time is a major advancement in medical imaging, particularly for cancer treatment.
The research team believes their neutron activation technique can be expanded to monitor various nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems.
According to Assistant Professor Yuichiro Kadonaga from Osaka University, the next step is to refine the imaging resolution and explore new ways to apply neutron activation imaging in different biomedical applications.
With further improvements, this innovative approach has the potential to become a widely used clinical tool, enabling more precise drug monitoring and enhancing targeted cancer therapies.
This breakthrough, published in a recent study in Applied Physics Express, highlights how neutron activation technology can be a game-changer in cancer treatment.
Enabling longer and more accurate tracking of therapeutic nanoparticles paves the way for safer and more effective cancer therapies in the future.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
0COMMENT
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Aamir Khollam Aamir is a seasoned tech journalist with experience at Exhibit Magazine, Republic World, and PR Newswire. With a deep love for all things tech and science, he has spent years decoding the latest innovations and exploring how they shape industries, lifestyles, and the future of humanity.
