Laser Postionization Secondary Neutral Mass Spectrometry in Tissue - a Powerful Tool for Elemental and Molecular Imaging in the Development of Targeted Drugs

Imaging of elements and molecules with subcellular spatial resolution is increasingly important in modern therapeutic and diagnostic strategies in medicine. Such strategies rely on the capability of specialised compounds to selectively target specific cells. Applying imaging techniques, such as mass spectrometry, enables more informed decisions in the initial stages of development of such drugs. Laser post-ionisation secondary neutral mass spectrometry (laser-SNMS) simultaneously detects atoms, their isotopes and molecules with high sensitivity and with microscopical spatial resolution1. One advantage of this technology is the ability to directly observe the distribution of elements without any specific labelling with a fluorescent or radioactive probe. Laser-SNMS has special benefit for drug testing in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). BNCT is a biologically targeted form of radiotherapy, which uses the ability of the isotope 10B to capture thermal neutrons leading to the nuclear reaction 10B(n,¿,¿)7Li. This reaction produces 478 keV gamma rays, 4He- and 7Li- particles. The latter two has a high linear energy transfer (LET) and therefore a high biological effectiveness relative to conventional photon irradiation. The range of these particles in tissue is limited to approximately 10 µm, which confines their effect to one cell diameter, thus providing the potential for a targeted irradiation of tumour cells.

WITTIG Andrea;  ARLINGHAUS Heinrich;  KRIEGESKOTTE Christian;  MOSS Raymond;  APPELMAN K.;  SCHMID Kurt Werner;  SAUERWEIN Wolfgang; 

2009-01-30

AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH

JRC48358

1535-7163,   

http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/vol7/issue7/,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC48358,   

10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-08-0191,