A recent research study has made substantial development in uncovering the microscopic system behind heavy-ion cancer therapy, which is anticipated to optimize cancer treatment methods and promote the development of brand-new radiotherapy technologies.The findings, led by researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their collaborators, were just recently released as a highlighted paper in the journal Physical Review X.Heavy-ion therapy, an innovative radiotherapy strategy, utilizes heavy-ion beams to ruin cancer cells.
Considering that the idea was proposed in 1946, over 50,000 clients worldwide have gone through heavy-ion treatment.
Under the same radiation dose, heavy ions exhibit 2 to 3 times greater cancer-cell-killing efficiency than standard X-ray radiotherapy, stated Xu Shenyue, a scientist with the IMP.Heavy ions can more effectively trigger DNA double-strand breaks in growth cells, resulting in stronger biological results.
But the specific tiny system underlying these results had actually long been uncertain, Xu said.Researchers carried out experiments at the heavy-ion research study facilities in Lanzhou, northwest Chinas Gansu Province, to resolve this question.
For the very first time, they observed an intermolecular energy and proton transfer cascade system activated by heavy-ion irradiation in biomolecular clusters.
The observed system clarify the molecular mechanisms of radiation damage, and may play an essential function in optimizing radiotherapy strategies in the future, said Ma Xinwen, another researcher with the IMP.The study was carried out by scientists from the IMP, in collaboration with scientists from Russias Irkutsk State University, Germanys Heidelberg University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Xian Jiaotong University and Lanzhou University.