A novel discovery by the researchers at the National University of Singapore can go on to aid in the treatment of gastric cancer by improving the radiotherapy precision, which is mostly used in combination with treatment options ranging from surgery and chemotherapy to immunotherapy.
When it comes to the modern radiotherapy spectrum, the precision in terms of targeting human tissue while also making sure that the damage is minimised in the healthy tissue is crucial. That said, the low efficacy and variable outcomes happen to be a challenge because of patient diversity, varied delivery types, as well as treatment uncertainty.
In order to address these challenges, Professor Liu as well as his team have gone on to develop a novel ingestible X-ray dosimeter capsule that is capable of measuring the radiation dose as well as physiological changes in the pH and also temperature in real time during the stage of gastrointestinal radiotherapy.
As and when the capsule gets ingested and reaches the gastrointestinal tract, the nonscintillators will go on to exhibit a heightened luminescence in the increased X-ray radiation presence. A sensor that is within the capsule makes sure to measure the glow from the nanoscintillators so as to gauge the radiation that’s delivered to the area that’s being targeted.
Notably, the capsule dosimeter measures 7 mm in width and 18 mm in length, which happens to be a common size that is used across supplements as well as medicines and costs S$60 to get produced. Presently designed for monitoring the radiotherapy dose for gastric cancer, it can also be used to monitor treatment when it comes to varied malignancies with further personalization of the capsule size.
It is well to note that the research team is also working to bring their innovation more towards clinical application. Further research includes exacting the position of the capsule and its posture post ingestion, creating a seamless and robust system so as to anchor the capsule towards the intended site, and further computing the precision and accuracy of the ingestible dosimeter for a safe as well as an effective clinical usage.
