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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
Published on: February 6, 2019
Antibody-functionalized gold nanoparticles as tumor-targeting radiosensitizers for proton therapy
Sha Li1, Sandra Bouchy2, Sebastien Penninckx1
1Research Center for the Physics of Matter & Radiation (PMR-LARN), Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, B-5000 Namur, Belgium.
Aim:
This study aimed at developing antibody-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to selectively target cancer cells and probing their potential radiosensitizing effects under proton irradiation.
Materials & Methods:
AuNPs were conjugated with cetuximab (Ctxb-AuNPs). Ctxb-AuNP uptake was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Radioenhancing effect was assessed using conventional clonogenic assay.
Results & Conclusion:
Ctxb-AuNPs specifically bound to and accumulated in EGFR-overexpressing A431 cells, compared with EGFR-negative MDA-MB-453 cells. Ctxb-AuNPs enhanced the effect of proton irradiation in A431 cells but not in MDA-MB-453 cells. These data indicate, for the first time, that combining enhanced uptake by specific targeting and radioenhancing effect, using conjugated AuNPs, is a promising strategy to increase cell killing by protontherapy.
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