A recent article by Science Bulletin shows an image of a prostate cancer patient with metastatic tumors and another image of the same patient three months later with those tumors gone.
The cancer was gone due to potent treatments involving the material that is a molecule tagged with actinium-225, a radioactive isotope. According to the article, when this material is designed to bind specifically with a protein on the surface of cancer cells, the radiolabeled molecule delivers a lethal, localized punch—alpha particles that kill the cancer with minimal damage to surrounding tissues.
This material, developed by Brookhaven Lab and the Department of Energy Isotope Program, can only be produced in large quantities needed to support clinical applications at facilities that have high-energy particle accelerators. The radioactive forms of chemical elements have the ability to be used alone or attached to various molecules to track and target the disease.
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Jodelle joined TriMed Media Group in 2016 as a senior writer, focusing on content for Radiology Business and Health Imaging. After receiving her master's from DePaul University, she worked as a news reporter and communications specialist.