X-ray antennas for improved radiotherapy

One out three people in Sweden get cancer, and one out two of these receive radiotherapy.

The clinical efficacy of radiotherapy is limited by e.g. the low X-ray attenuation coefficient of organs, damage to healthy tissues, and radioresistance in oxygen-deficient tumors. Radiosensitizing X-ray antennas based on high-Z elements could be used to improve this.

Compared to the low-Z elements that are the main building blocks of cells, high-Z elements have higher ionization cross section at high photon energies. This could be used for more targeted radiation damage to the tumours and reduced damage to healthy tissue.

With the long-term aim of improving radiotherapy, I have together with active cancer researchers selected three thematic topics for focused studies:How can high-Z X-ray antennas be used to…  …boost the formation of low-energy electrons and reactive oxygen species in water?…form dual-function radiosensitizers together with nitroimidazoles?…directly target cancer DNA?To address these questions, I have assembled a team of researchers with complementary competences ranging from molecular physics to radiation biology and DNA repair, to use a combination of advanced experimental techniques and simulations from molecular physics, hitherto not used in this field.

This will provide novel molecular-scale insights into radiosensitization, thereby facilitating further progress towards improving radiotherapy with practically useful radiosensitizers.