– Overcoming difficulties accumulating in the liver through surface modification of zirconium-89 nanomaterials
| An image illustrating how zirconium-89 iron nanoparticles reach the tumor.[한국원자력연구원 제공] |
[헤럴드경제=구본혁 기자] Nanopharmaceuticals are drugs that diagnose and treat diseases using nano-sized materials. Nanomaterials are effective in diagnosing and treating tumors because they can efficiently deliver drugs to specific parts of the body by changing the intrinsic properties of materials. However, a significant amount of the administered nanomaterials accumulates in the liver due to the immune action of the human body, and there is a limitation in that it cannot fully reach the tumor.
The Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on the 13th that it has succeeded in developing medical iron nanoparticles that reach tumors without accumulating in the liver using cyclotron.
The research team led by Dr. Jung-Hoon Park of the Accelerated Isotope Research Center stably binds the diagnostic isotope zirconium-89 (Zr-89) to the inside of iron nanoparticles adjusted to a size of 100 to 200 nm (nanometer), and coats it with a polymer to neutralize the surface charge. made. The research team directly confirmed the results of the nanomaterials passing through the liver and reaching the tumor through the video.
Zirconium-89 (Zr-89) is an isotope used for imaging and has a half-life of 3.3 days, which is longer than that of existing isotopes, which are only a few hours. For this reason, it is possible to accurately observe the movement of the substance bound to Zr-89 for a long time. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute started producing Zr-89, which had been dependent on imports, and is regularly supplying it to domestic research institutes and university hospitals.
Conventional zirconium-89-labeled nanoparticles, which are negatively or positively charged, are characterized by agglomeration with serum proteins. The agglomerated and increased particle size is captured by macrophages, a type of immune cell, and accumulated in the liver. However, since the nanoparticles developed this time were changed to near neutral through the surface modification process of coating the polymer, the binding to serum proteins is reduced and the particles do not agglomerate, so they can safely reach the tumor.
In particular, the research team succeeded in making nanoparticles into an oval shape like a rugby ball by combining iron and glutamic acid, a natural product. It overcomes the disadvantages of conventional circular particles that do not settle well on tumors and rod-shaped particles with poor mobility. Depending on the isotope bound to the nanoparticles, it can be used not only for diagnosis but also as a therapeutic nanopharmaceutical.
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| Researchers at the Accelerated Mobility Development Department, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. From left: Senior Researcher Seungdae Yang, Postdoctoral Researcher Pyeongseok Choi, Senior Researcher Junyoung Lee, and Head of Department Park Jeonghoon[한국원자력연구원 제공] |
This research result was selected as the cover paper of the international scientific journal ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry B’ and was first published online earlier this month.
Lee Nam-ho, head of the Advanced Radiation Research Center, said, “The research center has well-established facilities for cyclotron-based zirconium-89 production and bio material evaluation in the Cyclotron Research Building, so we look forward to expanding the research field and revitalizing the use of industry-university research.”
nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com
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