Researchers
at the University of Missouri have successfully created radioactive
nano particles that can easily investigate lymphoma tumour cells in
the Human body. The nano particles are made up of a radioactive form
of the element lutenium.
Michael
Lewis, an associate professor of oncology in the MU College of
Veterinary Medicine, said being able to target secondary tumours is
vital to successfully treating patients with progressive cancers.
“Depending
on the type of cancer, primary tumours usually are not the cause of
death for cancer patients,” Lewis said. “If a cancer
metastasises, or spreads creating hard-to-find tumours, it often
becomes fatal. Having a way to identify and shrink these secondary
tumours is of utmost importance when fighting to save people with
these diseases,” Lewis said.
The
scientists covered the lutetium nano particles with gold shells and
attached targeting agents. In previous research, Lewis has already
proven the effectiveness of similar targeting agents in mice and dogs
suffering from tumours.
In
that research, the targeting agents were attached to single
radioactive atoms that were introduced into the bodies of animals
with cancer. The targeting agents were able to seek out the tumours
existing within the animals, which were then revealed through
radio-imaging of those animals.
In
the current study, researchers showed that the targeting agents can
deliver the new radioactive lutetium nano particles to lymphoma
tumour cells without attaching to and damaging healthy cells in the
process.
J
David Robertson, director of research at the MU Research Reactor and
professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Science, said this
is an important step toward developing therapies for lymphoma and
other advanced-stage cancers. “The ability to deliver multiple
radioactive atoms to individual cancer cells should greatly increase
our ability to selectively kill these cells,” Robertson said.
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