Green fabrication of biodegradable polymer carriers of radioisotopes for personalized internal radiotherapy and diagnostics
Giulia Tamburini
University of Milano Bicocca, Italy
https://tugraz.webex.com/tugraz/j.php?MTID=m2790c3d2a9a49c31369978e2a76de31c
11:15 - 12:15 Wednesday 22 May 2024 The use of biocompatible microsystems for delivering tumoricidal agents or radiation has become increasingly prevalent in interventional oncology. Currently, glass-based microspheres are the primary solution for cancer radiotherapy. However, their major drawback lies in their tendency to settle in organs and potentially induce adverse immunological reactions in the patient's body. To overcome this problem, in recent year there has been significant interest in employing biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric microspheres infused with a rare earth radioisotope as an alternative to conventional methods.
This presentation will focus on undoped and europium-doped poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) microspheres and the strategies to regulate their crystallinity by changing the synthesis temperature. In fact, this is a crucial parameter as it governs the release rate of active species and the biodegradation process post-therapy. Analysis of vibrational modes led to the hypothesis that the combined influence of the emulsification temperature and the presence of Eu affect the ratio of amorphous to $\alpha$-phase crystalline components within each PLLA microsphere. Furthermore, unlike bulk materials, these microspheres do not exhibit changes in the molecular unit following exposure to x-rays, making them suitable for radiotherapy and diagnostics. These findings present opportunities for innovative methods to synthesize radiation-resistant and biodegradable microspheres with tuned crystallinity.
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Institute of Solid State Physics
