Page 41 - PR 2014 2016 03 Applications of Ionizing Radiations

Applications of Ionizing Radiations | Progress Report 83

Health Application of
Ionizing Radiation and

Radioactive Sources

Brachytherapy technique in nanoscale

Cancer is a global public health problem. The
disease consists in an uncontrolled growth of
anomalous cells that impair the functioning of
the body. One of the treatments for cancer is
the brachytherapy. In this treatment technique,
the radiation is placed close or in contact with
the region to be treated. The idea of using ra-
diation sources to treat disease is as old as the
discovery of radiation. With the association of
modern medicine with computational meth-
ods for manufacturing, testing and certifica-
tion, radiation sources for treatment are being
produced with high efficiency at millimetric
sizes. With recent advances in nanotechnology,
the use of nanoparticles (NPs) instead of the
traditional seeds is actively being investigated.
Due to the minimal size of the NPs, the radio-
sensitization may be avoided, once this method
may delivery a more precise dose only to the
target volume, preserving adjacent tissues and
organs at risk (OAR). The combination of nano-
technology with radiation sources created the
new research field: nanobrachytherapy. There
are several challenges to be considered when
implementing this research such as character-
istics of the radioisotope since not all isotopes
can be used to treat cancer, radiation protec-
tion, characterization and animal tests issues.
For the past two years, our group at IPEN, with
a partnership with the University of Laval, was
able to start a joint research and developed
two new nanosources.