New Perspectives for Neutron Capture Radiation Therapy with ⁷Be. The Chemistry and Biochemistry Gap

The research on new radiopharmaceuticals for therapy of cancer is evolving rapidly. Thanks to novel technologies and new selective and less toxic compounds, we move towards personalized molecular medicine. The neutron capture radiation therapy (NCT) can be potentially much safer and can offer a better spatial and temporal control than the radioisotope therapy. Still, there are not many options in NCT: the ¹⁰B isotope has been almost exclusively used for decades, and only recently, ¹⁵⁷Gd has attracted some interest. Here, we want to draw attention to a new nuclide, ⁷Be, recently suggested for the NCT, and discuss perspective of Be²⁺ confinement in aqueous solutions and targeted delivery to cancerous tissues.