Stage project RadioLigand Therapy R&D

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive primary brain tumor with limited treatment options and poor prognosis, affecting a significant number of patients each year. The typical standard treatment, consists of surgical resection, external radiation therapy and concomitant chemotherapy. However, most GBM remain incurable due to the highly invasive tumor growth pattern, the rate of tumor recurrence, treatment-induced treatment-resistance and limited drug penetration capacity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

In SCK CEN we research and develop novel radiopharmaceuticals for Targeted RadioNuclide Therapy (TRNT), which hold the promise to overcome some hurdles of the standard treatments. One type of radiopharmaceuticals under investigation for treatement of GMB are coated Lanthanide NanoParticles (LnNP) doped with a therapeutic dose of radioactive sotopes. The small size of nanoparticles allows them to more easily pass the BloodBrainBarrier. And via proper engineered coating we aim selective targeting and binding of the NPs with the GBM tumor cells, reducing toxicity to the patient. 

This stage will allow the student to follow different steps in this research project, using a variety of biological assays and equipment in our R&D laboratories.