Newswise — A recent paper published in Nature Communications reveals insights about the element actinium that could support new classes of anticancer drugs. The experiment was conducted by the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory in collaboration with the DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

An isotope of actinium, actinium-225, has a relatively short half-life (10 days) and emits powerful alpha particles as it decays to stable bismuth. This makes it a perfect candidate for a novel cancer treatment technique called targeted alpha therapy, where alpha emissions from radioisotopes destroy malignant cells while minimizing the damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

However, this can only become a reliable cancer treatment if actinium securely binds to what’s known as a chelator, or targeting molecule, as the radioisotope is very toxic to healthy tissue if it is not brought quickly to the site of disease.

The new study demonstrates that unique capabilities at SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) – a DOE Office of Science User Facility – provide an opportunity to characterize the molecular and electronic structure, including chemical bonds in compounds containing highly radioactive elements, like actinium, using only trace amounts. This manuscript represents the first in a series of studies that focus on providing needed chemical information for researchers to develop ways to safely transport actinium-225 through the body to tumor cells.

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Source: Newswise / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory