The use of nanotechnology in medicine is nothing short of revolutionary. Nanosensors for diagnosis, nanoparticles for drug delivery or nanodevices that can regenerate damaged tissue are changing the way we face and treat several diseases.

Combining radiotherapy with nanoparticles is a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of cancer treatments. High-atomic number nanoparticles are used as tumour radiosensitizers: tumour cells previously loaded with nanoparticles enhance the radiation effects when exposed to radiotherapy. “It’s a kind of knock-on effect; the interaction of the radiation with the nanoparticles generates short-range secondary radiation that induces a local dose enhancement in the tumour cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the synergistic effects involved in these techniques are not clearly understood’, says Immaculada Martínez-Rovira, Marie Curie scientist of ALBA and expert in the development of innovative radiotherapy approaches.

>Read more on the ALBA website

Image: Researcher Imma Martínez-Rovira, Marie Curie scientist of ALBA and expert in the development of innovative radiotherapy approaches.