US scientists have unveiled groundbreaking potential in the 125-year-old element actinium, discovered by French scientist Andre-Louis Debierne in 1899, to combat cancer cells. Positioned at number 89 on the periodic table, actinium has now shown promising applications in cancer therapy, according to the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Despite being found in limited quantities and requiring specialized facilities for testing, actinium's implications extend beyond cancer treatment, offering insights into other medical conditions as well. This element, which serves both radioactive and earthy mineral purposes, opens new avenues for exploring the therapeutic properties of historical scientific discoveries.
The isotope actinium-225, chemically identical to actinium but exhibiting different physical properties, has been converted from nuclear energy to medicine, proving effective in targeted alpha therapy (TAT). This technique uses antibodies to deliver radioactive elements directly to cancer sites. Upon decay, these elements release particles that specifically target and destroy cancer cells while preserving healthy ones.
Researchers refined actinium through a filtration method that removes other elements and contaminants, producing crystals from just 5 micrograms of pure actinium. At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre, Roland Strong's team attached the element to a metal-trapping molecule, known as a ligand, and encased both inside a protein, creating a "macromolecular scaffold." This procedure was crucial for understanding actinium's atomic-level behavior, observed through advanced X-ray imaging techniques at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source.
While actinium-227 was used in this study for its stability, actinium-225 remains the chosen isotope for targeted alpha therapy due to its effectiveness in early clinical trials, including treatments for prostate cancer. The successful decoding of actinium's qualities offers hope for more potent therapeutics, potentially saving millions of lives by advancing cancer treatments.
This discovery not only highlights the historical significance of actinium but also underscores its potential to revolutionize medical treatments, marking a significant milestone in the fight against cancer.
