Scientists Uncover Fundamental Process in Heavy-Ion Cancer Treatment
A recent study has made important advances in understanding the microscopic mechanism that underpins heavy-ion cancer therapy, which is poised to enhance cancer treatment strategies and facilitate the development of new radiotherapy technologies....
TroibNews 
A recent study has made important advances in understanding the microscopic mechanism that underpins heavy-ion cancer therapy, which is poised to enhance cancer treatment strategies and facilitate the development of new radiotherapy technologies.
The research, spearheaded by scientists at the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators, was published as a highlighted paper in the journal Physical Review X.
Heavy-ion therapy is a cutting-edge radiotherapy method that utilizes heavy-ion beams for the destruction of cancer cells. Since its introduction in 1946, over 50,000 patients around the globe have received heavy-ion treatment.
"Under the same radiation dose, heavy ions exhibit two to three times greater cancer-cell-killing efficiency than traditional X-ray radiotherapy," noted Xu Shenyue, a researcher at the IMP.
Heavy ions can induce DNA double-strand breaks in tumor cells more effectively, leading to more pronounced biological effects. However, the specific microscopic mechanisms responsible for these outcomes had remained elusive, as Xu explained.
To investigate this, researchers conducted experiments at the heavy-ion research facilities located in Lanzhou, in northwest China's Gansu Province. For the first time, they identified an intermolecular energy and proton transfer cascade mechanism initiated by heavy-ion irradiation in biomolecular clusters.
"The observed mechanism sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of radiation damage, and may play an essential role in optimizing radiotherapy techniques in the future," remarked Ma Xinwen, another researcher at the IMP.
This study involved scientists from the IMP, working in collaboration with researchers from Russia’s Irkutsk State University, Germany’s Heidelberg University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Lanzhou University.
Aarav Patel contributed to this article for TROIB News
The research, spearheaded by scientists at the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators, was published as a highlighted paper in the journal Physical Review X.
Heavy-ion therapy is a cutting-edge radiotherapy method that utilizes heavy-ion beams for the destruction of cancer cells. Since its introduction in 1946, over 50,000 patients around the globe have received heavy-ion treatment.
"Under the same radiation dose, heavy ions exhibit two to three times greater cancer-cell-killing efficiency than traditional X-ray radiotherapy," noted Xu Shenyue, a researcher at the IMP.
Heavy ions can induce DNA double-strand breaks in tumor cells more effectively, leading to more pronounced biological effects. However, the specific microscopic mechanisms responsible for these outcomes had remained elusive, as Xu explained.
To investigate this, researchers conducted experiments at the heavy-ion research facilities located in Lanzhou, in northwest China's Gansu Province. For the first time, they identified an intermolecular energy and proton transfer cascade mechanism initiated by heavy-ion irradiation in biomolecular clusters.
"The observed mechanism sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of radiation damage, and may play an essential role in optimizing radiotherapy techniques in the future," remarked Ma Xinwen, another researcher at the IMP.
This study involved scientists from the IMP, working in collaboration with researchers from Russia’s Irkutsk State University, Germany’s Heidelberg University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Lanzhou University.
Aarav Patel contributed to this article for TROIB News
