Nanoplatelets, a Potential Drug Delivery Vehicle for Targeted Cancer Therapy

The Science

Short-lived radioactive isotopes, or radioisotopes, can image tumors or inflict high levels of cellular damage to them. As a result, these radioisotopes can be effectively used in cancer treatments. However, delivering them to tumor sites is a challenge. One approach is to combine the radioisotope with a nanoparticle that can target and transport it to the tumor. Scientists used a unique assembly process to produce a layered nanoparticle (called a nanoplatelet) with a specialized structure. This process and structure allow it to rapidly absorb a radioisotope. As a result, the nanoparticle strongly binds the radioisotope to itself and delivers it to the target. This study developed a versatile platform of nanoparticles that can accommodate a large variety of radioisotopes. These include radioisotopes that are promising, but scientists have not yet studied.

The Impact

Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) is an important area of research for developing drugs to treat cancer. TRT attaches radioisotopes to molecules that target cancer cells. This study developed a nanoplatelet that allows scientists to use a large variety of radioisotopes of interest to TRT. This development expands the toolbox for TRT while providing a single platform for imaging, therapy, and the dual purposes of theranostics (which does both imaging and therapy). With this platform, scientists could potentially use either a single radioisotope or a matched pair of isotopes to perform both imaging and therapy.

Summary

Building on previous work, researchers have demonstrated the rapid uptake of trivalent cations of both transition metals and lanthanide metals using alkali metal-substituted alpha-zirconium phosphate derivatives. Converting alpha-zirconium phosphate to an alkali metal-substituted derivative greatly improved the uptake kinetics for the radioisotope. It also maintained strong binding and retention of the TRT surrogates. This opens the door for the development of a new class of improved nanoparticle TRT drugs.

Contact

Jonathan BurnsUniversity of Alabama at [email protected]

Funding

Research supported by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Isotope R&D and Production (including the Horizon-broadening Isotope Production Pipeline Opportunities program) and the DOE Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Publications

Imansha Madhushan, B. D.; Orsi, A. L.; Pyles, J. M.; Burns, J. D., "Uptake and binding of La(3+) and Cr(3+) ions by alkali metal substituted alpha-zirconium phosphate." Dalton Trans. (2025), 54 (44), 16344-16355. [DOI: 10.1039/D5DT02047F]