What is it about?
In cancer treatment, gold nanoparticles have been proposed as a new way to enhance the effect of radiation. A tumor carrying such nanoparticles receives more radiation dose than the surrounding healthy tissue. Studies have thus far focused on the effect of single nanoparticles despite the fact that there is evidence for significant agglomeration. Using next-generation advanced radiation transport computations, we characterize the dose enhancement about clustered nanoparticles in various geometries.
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Why is it important?
Efforts have been underway to prevent nanoparticles from clustering. We show that the radiation dose about agglomerated gold nanoparticles forms hotspots that can provide additional mechanisms for cell inactivation. In this way, agglomeration may benefit nanoparticle-enhanced radiation treatment.
Perspectives
While agglomeration of nanoparticles en route from source to target may be unavoidable, ab-ovo design of nanoclusters that take advantage of hotspot formation may enhance the efficacy of nanoparticle-aided radiotherapy.
Erno Sajo
University of Massachusetts Amherst WEB Du Bois Library
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The dichotomous nature of dose enhancement by gold nanoparticle aggregates in radiotherapy, Nanomedicine, April 2018, Future Medicine,
DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2017-0344.
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