A novel compound has been created that uses radiation to selectively kill cancer cells.
The approach was developed by Dr Katsunori Tanaka of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and nearby chemistry laboratories in Japan.
They explain in yesterday’s Chemical Science that targeted alpha-particle therapy (TAT) has recently been introduced in an attempt to improve cancer outcomes.
TAT is based on the unique properties of alpha-particles, which have more energy but travel a shorter distance in human tissue than other forms of radiation.
Hence, they “can kill cancer cells by slicing through both strands of their DNA, but the damage is limited to only a small number of cells near the particles’ source”.
The team carried out a study that showed tumours in mice grew almost three times less after one injection of an alpha radiation-emitting compound.
Healthy tissue was unaffected, and survival among the test animals was 100%, with very limited side-effects.
They explain that they synthesised an alpha-emitting molecule that can selectively target the acrolein of cancer cells. This is a cell metabolite linked to oxidative stress.
“Our results demonstrate that a single intra-tumour or intravenous administration of this simple alpha-emitting molecule to a human lung cancer mouse model, at a low dose, can suppress tumour growth without inducing adverse effects,” they write.
They add that this compound “deserves further investigation for application in animal models and humans with various cancer types and stages”.
Dr Tanaka commented: “Even when injecting the treatment compound into the bloodstream, we were able to achieve similar results.
“This means we can use this method to treat very early-stage cancer even if we don’t know where the tumour is.”
Ode, Y. et al. Therapeutic efficacy of 211At-radiolabeled 2,6-diisopropylphenyl azide in mouse models of human lung cancer. Chemical Science 27 June 2023 doi: 10.1039/d3sc02513f
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