Gold, electron microscopy, and cancer therapy.
Radioactive gold has properties suitable for radiotherapy and can provide lethal irradiation to cells. If the gold is conjugated to a targeting molecule, such as an antibody, it may be possible to specifically deliver the dose to tumor cells. Various gold particles are possible candidates and include gold colloids with adsorption of antibodies or gold clusters with covalent attachment. Different sizes of gold particles are available and some may be preferred for certain situations. Problems with intravenous injection and in vivo delivery are numerous, and a more tractable application is the direct instillation into the urinary bladder of radiogold immunoconjugates to treat superficial bladder carcinoma. Preliminary studies indicate the feasibility of this approach.
Hainfeld
J F
JF
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Biology Dept., Upton, NY 11973, USA.
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006050:Gold Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006050:Gold Radioisotopes; D000922:Immunotoxins