Development of Medical Nanoparticles That Avoid Liver Accumulation and Target Tumors

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Advanced Radiation Research Center
Likely to Improve Cancer Detection and Treatment Efficiency

Image illustrating the process of Zirconium-89 iron nanoparticles reaching the tumor site

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A Korean research team has developed medical iron nanoparticles that do not accumulate in the liver but directly reach treatment sites such as tumors. This is evaluated to significantly improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment of tumors and other conditions.

The Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on the 13th that it succeeded in developing medical iron nanoparticles that reach tumors without accumulating in the liver by utilizing a cyclotron.

Nanoparticles are pharmaceuticals that use materials of microscopic size to diagnose and treat diseases. Nanomaterials can change the inherent properties of substances to efficiently deliver drugs to specific parts of the body, making them effective for tumor diagnosis and treatment. However, a significant amount of administered nanomaterials accumulates in the liver due to the body's immune response, limiting their ability to fully reach tumors.

Dr. Park Jeong-hoon’s research team stably bound the diagnostic isotope zirconium-89 (Zr-89) inside iron nanoparticles controlled to a size of 100?200 nm (nanometers), coated them with polymers, and made the surface charge neutral. The resulting nanomaterials were directly confirmed through imaging to pass through without lingering in the liver and reach tumors.

Existing zirconium-89 labeled nanoparticles carrying negative or positive charges tend to clump together with serum proteins. These aggregated particles increase in size and are captured by macrophages, a type of immune cell, accumulating in the liver. However, the newly developed nanoparticles underwent surface modification by polymer coating to become nearly neutral, reducing binding with serum proteins and preventing particle aggregation, allowing safe arrival at tumors.

The research team also succeeded in combining iron and the natural substance glutamic acid to create oval-shaped nanoparticles resembling rugby balls. This overcame the shortcomings of conventional round particles that poorly adhere to tumors and rod-shaped particles with low mobility. Depending on the isotope bound to the nanoparticles, they can be used not only for diagnostic purposes but also as therapeutic nano-pharmaceuticals.

The research results were recognized for excellence by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK and selected as the cover paper of the 'Journal of Materials Chemistry B,' with early online publication earlier this month.

Kang Geon-wook, director of the Radiation Medicine Research Institute at Seoul National University, stated, “Nanomaterials can also be used as delivery vehicles for vaccines and anticancer drugs,” and evaluated, “It has been confirmed that the zirconium nanomaterials developed by the Atomic Energy Research Institute do not accumulate in the liver, showing great potential for development as medical materials.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.