High-Z nanoparticles for enhanced energy deposition in tumours during radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is a trade-off between tumour control and unwanted side effects in healthy tissue. Both radiation effects depend on the absorbed dose, i.e. energy imparted per mass. Due to proliferation, cancer cells are susceptible to radiation damage. This opens the so-called therapeutic window, i.e. a dose range where treatment efficacy exceeds the risk of side effects, whose width is fixed by biological factors. High-Z nanoparticles offer the prospective to selectively enhance energy deposition in tumours while sparing healthy tissue.

Hans Rabus graduated in surface science at Freie Universität Berlin and then worked for 27 years in radiation metrology at PTB, Germany’s National Metrology Institute, were he was leading for 11 years the department “Radiation Effects” in the Ionizing Radiation division.