Biocompatible magnetic polymer carriers for in vivo radionuclide delivery

The magnetic guidance of antiplastic and antibacterial agents as well as x-ray and MRI contrast substances in vivo by means of magnetic particles has been attempted repeatedly during the last 2 decades with more or less success. When using microparticles, the circulation time in the blood, the biodistribution, and to a greater or lesser extent, the specific targeting are determined by the uniformity of size, chemical composition, surface modification, and the electric surface charge. The electrophoretic mobility is an important parameter for the prediction of the usefulness of the prepared particle, modified by chemical and biological molecules. For its success, radionuclide therapy depends on the critical relationship between the amount of radioactive isotopes in the target tissue and in critical normal tissue. Because the implementation of radioimmunotherapy for the treatment of cancer has proven to be considerably more difficult than initially anticipated, we propose the use of magnetic nanospheres for the well directed delivery of radionuclides to a tumor after the intravenous administration of the biodegradable colloidal suspension.