How to keep boron inside cells during radiotherapy: a novel approach to cancer treatment

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a technique in which p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) is transferred to cancer cells, and the boron in it undergoes nuclear fission reaction upon irradiation of thermal neutrons, releasing high energy particles that kill the cells. Scientists at Tokyo Tech, Kyoto University, and Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM) improved upon current BNCT by combining BPA with poly(vinyl alcohol) to produce the PVA-BPA complex, which has a longer cell retention time, enhancing the cancer-killing potential of BNCT.