{"entity":{"id":"radiodynamic-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Radiodynamic therapy and radiosensitising nanoparticles","aka":[],"tldr":"Nanoparticles that turn ordinary radiotherapy X-rays into a much bigger dose exactly where they sit.","summary":"High atomic-number nanoparticles absorb X-rays disproportionately and either release secondary electrons, amplifying local dose, or excite a linked photosensitiser to produce singlet oxygen at depth. Hafnium-oxide nanoparticles (NBTXR3) are the most advanced dose-enhancement agent, with a randomised soft-tissue sarcoma study behind them and head and neck work ongoing. True radiodynamic constructs, where the particle drives a photochemical reaction, remain early phase.","status":"phase-2","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"ClinicalTrials.gov: NBTXR3","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=NBTXR3"}],"tags":["frontier","promising"],"related":[],"cancers":["sarcoma","head-and-neck"],"sections":["radiation"],"technologies":["imrt-igrt","sbrt","photoimmunotherapy","hyperthermia"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Intratumoural high-Z nanoparticles increase local photoelectric absorption, multiplying dose delivered per gray to the tumour without raising dose to surrounding tissue.","strengths":["Amplifies an existing, widely available treatment","Physical mechanism, so genotype-independent","One intratumoural injection lasts a whole course"],"limitations":["Requires an injectable, well-distributed tumour","Distribution within the tumour is uneven","Benefit beyond the injected site is unproven"]},"route":"/technologies/radiodynamic-therapy/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"head-and-neck","kind":"cancer","name":"Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/head-and-neck/"},{"id":"sarcoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Sarcomas (soft tissue, bone, GIST)","route":"/cancers/sarcoma/"}],"section":[{"id":"radiation","kind":"section","name":"Radiation Therapy","route":"/fronts/radiation/"}],"technology":[{"id":"hyperthermia","kind":"technology","name":"Hyperthermia","route":"/technologies/hyperthermia/"},{"id":"imrt-igrt","kind":"technology","name":"IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)","route":"/technologies/imrt-igrt/"},{"id":"photoimmunotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Photoimmunotherapy & photodynamic therapy","route":"/technologies/photoimmunotherapy/"},{"id":"sbrt","kind":"technology","name":"SBRT / SABR (stereotactic radiotherapy)","route":"/technologies/sbrt/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"devices-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Devices and physical therapies roadmap: heat and light → electric fields and focused sound → drug-releasing implants","route":"/roadmaps/devices-roadmap/"},{"id":"frontier-2035","kind":"roadmap","name":"Radical oncology: what could change the war by 2035","route":"/roadmaps/frontier-2035/"},{"id":"radiation-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Radiotherapy roadmap: X-rays → shaped beams → fewer fractions, particles and FLASH","route":"/roadmaps/radiation-roadmap/"}]}}