Theranostics in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Abstract

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has the potential to specifically destroy tumor cells without damaging the tissues infiltrated by the tumor. BNCT is a binary treatment method based on the combination of two agents that have no effect when applied individually: 10B and thermal neutrons. Exclusively, the combination of both produces an effect, whose extent depends on the amount of 10B in the tumor but also on the organs at risk. It is not yet possible to determine the 10B concentration in a specific tissue using non-invasive methods. At present, it is only possible to measure the 10B concentration in blood and to estimate the boron concentration in tissues based on the assumption that there is a fixed uptake of 10B from the blood into tissues. On this imprecise assumption, BNCT can hardly be developed further. A therapeutic approach, combining the boron carrier for therapeutic purposes with an imaging tool, might allow us to determine the 10B concentration in a specific tissue using a non-invasive method. This review provides an overview of the current clinical protocols and preclinical experiments and results on how innovative drug development for boron delivery systems can also incorporate concurrent imaging. The last section focuses on the importance of proteomics for further optimization of BNCT, a highly precise and personalized therapeutic approach.

Carboranes as unique pharmacophores in antitumor medicinal chemistry

“…In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the first step is the selective accumulation of 10 B-containing compounds in cancer cells, which can be irradiated by low-energy and harmless thermal neutrons. 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 Subsequently, 10 B atoms break up into α particles and lithium nuclei, yielding high linear energy transfer (LET) particles ( Figure 2 ). 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 As a result, 10 B-containing cancer cells can be destroyed by the high-LET particles.…”

Physical bases of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, Dosimetry, and Its Mechanisms of Action - Critical Overview of the Literature

“…The following boron-delivery nanomaterials can be distinguished: dendrimers, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, boron nitride, carbon nanotubes, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, ferromagnetic and paramagnetic nanoparticles -some of them used for MRI imaging, -gold nanoparticles, and BPO4 nanoparticles. There are many promising routes in drug delivery systems, and there is still a pressing need to develop new boron delivery agents, but without adequate research and clinical trials, it is hard to determine which one is the most feasible [30,31].…”

Physical Bases of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, Dosimetry, and Its Mechanisms of Action—A Critical Overview of the Literature

“…The following boron-delivery nanomaterials can be distinguished: dendrimers, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, boron nitride, carbon nanotubes, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, ferromagnetic and paramagnetic nanoparticles -some of them used for MRI imaging, -gold nanoparticles, and BPO4 nanoparticles. There are many promising routes in drug delivery systems, and there is still a pressing need to develop new boron delivery agents, but without adequate research and clinical trials, it is difficult to determine which is the most feasible [24,25].…”