Targeted nanohorns for lithium neutron capture therapy

Introduction

Cancer accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Half of all cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy, either alone or combined with other therapeutic modalities (mainly surgery and chemotherapy).

Concerns in Radiotherapy

One of the first concerns related to radiotherapy is the toxicity of healthy organs and tissues close to the tumour. It is well-known that radiation therapy not only kills cancerous cells that divide, but also affects the cells in division in healthy tissue.

Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT)

Neutron capture therapy (NCT) is a form of radiotherapy that exploits the potential of some specific isotopes for cancer treatment. The nuclear reaction that takes place when some isotopes are irradiated with neutrons produces lethal particles with path lengths that can limit the destructive effects to a single cell, thus conferring high therapeutic precision to this form of radiotherapy.

Challenges in NCT

For this therapy to be successful, enough neutron active atoms must be delivered to the tumour site so a lethal capture reaction can take place. However, current benchmark pharmacologic agents are limited in their performance due to the low concentration of active species delivered in the tumour sites.

Innovative Approach of TARLIT

TARLIT goes beyond the state-of-the-art and presents an innovative approach that consists of the design of nanoparticles as carriers of enriched lithium compounds. The possibility to deliver lithium nuclides into cancer cells, and the fact that nuclear reactions of lithium resultant from neutron irradiation produce higher energetic particles than the current state of the art, can significantly improve the efficiency of NCT in the eradication of cancer cells and tumours.