{"entity":{"id":"auger-electron-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Auger-electron therapy","aka":[],"tldr":"Auger-electron therapy uses radioactive atoms such as iodine-125 or terbium-161 that release cascades of low-energy electrons travelling only nanometres to micrometres, so they kill a cell only if the atom sits on or inside its DNA and spare the neighbours. Terbium-161 can replace lutetium-177 in existing PSMA ligands; true nuclear delivery remains preclinical.","summary":"Auger emitters such as iodine-125, indium-111 and terbium-161 release cascades of low-energy electrons with nanometre to micrometre range. Delivered into the nucleus they are exquisitely cytotoxic and, unlike alpha emitters, spare neighbouring cells almost entirely. Terbium-161 is closest to clinical use because it can be substituted for lutetium-177 in existing PSMA and somatostatin ligands, with first-in-human work reported; strategies that require true nuclear delivery remain preclinical.","status":"preclinical","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"ClinicalTrials.gov: terbium-161","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=terbium-161"}],"tags":["frontier","radical"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["radiopharma"],"technologies":["radioligand-therapy","targeted-alpha-therapy","radioimmunotherapy"],"targets":["psma","sstr2"],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["alpha-vs-beta","dosimetry"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Electron-capture or internal-conversion decay releases multiple very low-energy electrons; energy deposition is confined to a few nanometres, so proximity to DNA determines lethality.","strengths":["Single-cell selectivity, well suited to micrometastases","Minimal crossfire into normal tissue","Terbium-161 slots into existing ligand chemistry"],"limitations":["Needs delivery into the nucleus for the pure Auger effect","Isotope supply and short half-lives","Dosimetry models built for beta emitters do not apply"]},"route":"/technologies/auger-electron-therapy/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"radiopharma","kind":"section","name":"Radiopharmaceuticals & Theranostics","route":"/fronts/radiopharma/"}],"technology":[{"id":"radioimmunotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Radio-antibody & radio-ADC","route":"/technologies/radioimmunotherapy/"},{"id":"radioligand-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Radioligand therapy (beta emitters)","route":"/technologies/radioligand-therapy/"},{"id":"targeted-alpha-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Targeted alpha therapy","route":"/technologies/targeted-alpha-therapy/"}],"target":[{"id":"psma","kind":"target","name":"PSMA","route":"/targets/psma/"},{"id":"sstr2","kind":"target","name":"Somatostatin receptor 2","route":"/targets/sstr2/"}],"term":[{"id":"alpha-vs-beta","kind":"term","name":"Alpha vs beta emitters","route":"/terms/alpha-vs-beta/"},{"id":"dosimetry","kind":"term","name":"Dosimetry","route":"/terms/dosimetry/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"cure-paths","kind":"roadmap","name":"Paths to cures: interception, eradication, control","route":"/roadmaps/cure-paths/"},{"id":"frontier-2035","kind":"roadmap","name":"Radical oncology: what could change the war by 2035","route":"/roadmaps/frontier-2035/"}]}}