The capsules could be used to carry the anticancer drug doxorubicin. (PDPics/Pixabay)
Researchers have claimed “a major step forward” in the development of radio-labeled, microcapsule drug delivery systems. The microcapsules are designed to address shortcomings of existing delivery systems such as low drug loading capacities.
Adding ligands that bind radionuclides to delivery vehicles enables physicians to detect drug carriers in the human body using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The approach could equip physicians to tell if a drug delivery vehicle has reached its target organ and spread throughout the tissue. Advocates of the model see it as a way to make treatment more efficient and cost-effective.