Institut Laue-Langevin

New radioisotope will improve cancer therapy.

The high neutron flux at the ILL has produced samples of 161Tb, an isotope of terbium with better properties for cancer therapy than existing radiopharmaceutical treatments. Researchers led by Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and collaborating with ILL and Technical University of Munich, confirmed that 161Tb could be produced in sufficient quantity and quality for therapeutic use.

Radiopharmaceuticals (where a radioactive isotope is attached to a bioconjugate that selectively delivers it to cancer cells) are one of the best ways to diagnose and treat tumours. Radiopharmaceuticals are already very successful in fighting certain types of cancer, but those isotopes currently in use are not optimal for all therapeutic applications. They may cause collateral damage to healthy tissue or require an isolation of the patient during treatment. Better isotopes exist but are not commercially available. Advance in this field is crucially dependant on the availability of innovative isotopes for initial R&D, and then on the capability to produce large quantities for clinical applications. Today’s 161Tb research is therefore an important step towards a new treatment that might improve the quality of cancer treatment and patient care. [more]