* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    REO to return for UI homecoming – The News-Gazette

    REO Gears Up to Ignite the Stage at UI Homecoming Celebration!

    Gen V Season 2: What is The Odessa Project? – yahoo.com

    Gen V Season 2: Unlocking the Secrets of The Odessa Project

    PENN Entertainment stock rating reiterated at Market Outperform by JMP – Investing.com

    PENN Entertainment Stock Rated a Market Outperformer by Experts

    Here’s how NJ’s once-vibrant nightclub scene was born and why it died – Bergen Record

    The Rise and Fall of New Jersey’s Once-Vibrant Nightclub Scene: What Happened?

    The Emmys are back: Viewership soars to highest numbers in 4 years – yahoo.com

    The Emmys Return with a Bang: Viewership Hits a 4-Year High

    From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    China says US TikTok deal a ‘win-win’, will review app’s technology and IP transfers – Reuters

    China Hails US TikTok Deal as a ‘Win-Win’ While Launching Review of App’s Technology and IP Transfers

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    City IT presented Best of North Carolina Technology Award – RaleighNC.gov

    City IT Honored with Best of North Carolina Technology Award

    LELO Releases 2025 Futurist Report: Intergenerational Views on Relationships, Sex, and Technology – PR Newswire

    Exploring the Future: How Different Generations View Relationships, Sex, and Technology in 2025

    Will New Big Technology Engagements Reshape Innodata’s Growth Path? – Yahoo Finance

    Could New Major Tech Partnerships Propel Innodata to Unprecedented Growth?

    Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    REO to return for UI homecoming – The News-Gazette

    REO Gears Up to Ignite the Stage at UI Homecoming Celebration!

    Gen V Season 2: What is The Odessa Project? – yahoo.com

    Gen V Season 2: Unlocking the Secrets of The Odessa Project

    PENN Entertainment stock rating reiterated at Market Outperform by JMP – Investing.com

    PENN Entertainment Stock Rated a Market Outperformer by Experts

    Here’s how NJ’s once-vibrant nightclub scene was born and why it died – Bergen Record

    The Rise and Fall of New Jersey’s Once-Vibrant Nightclub Scene: What Happened?

    The Emmys are back: Viewership soars to highest numbers in 4 years – yahoo.com

    The Emmys Return with a Bang: Viewership Hits a 4-Year High

    From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    China says US TikTok deal a ‘win-win’, will review app’s technology and IP transfers – Reuters

    China Hails US TikTok Deal as a ‘Win-Win’ While Launching Review of App’s Technology and IP Transfers

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    City IT presented Best of North Carolina Technology Award – RaleighNC.gov

    City IT Honored with Best of North Carolina Technology Award

    LELO Releases 2025 Futurist Report: Intergenerational Views on Relationships, Sex, and Technology – PR Newswire

    Exploring the Future: How Different Generations View Relationships, Sex, and Technology in 2025

    Will New Big Technology Engagements Reshape Innodata’s Growth Path? – Yahoo Finance

    Could New Major Tech Partnerships Propel Innodata to Unprecedented Growth?

    Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

125 Years After Its Discovery, Actinium’s Chemistry Still Baffles Scientists

July 30, 2024
in Science
125 Years After Its Discovery, Actinium’s Chemistry Still Baffles Scientists
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Actinium Compound

Researchers grew crystals of a pure actinium compound, seen here through a microscope, to understand how actinium binds to other molecules in a solid. Credit: Jen Wacker/Berkeley Lab

A study at Berkeley Lab has revealed new insights into actinium, an element critical for emerging cancer treatments. By examining its crystal structure, researchers have noted unique properties that could enhance targeted alpha therapy, a promising method in cancer treatment.

Although the element actinium was first discovered at the turn of the 20th century, researchers still don’t have a good grasp on the metal’s chemistry. That’s because actinium is only available in extremely small amounts and working with the radioactive material requires special facilities. However, to improve emerging cancer treatments using actinium, researchers will need to better understand how the element binds with other molecules.

Jen Wacker

Jen Wacker processes a sample of actinium at Berkeley Lab. Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab

Advances in Actinium Research

In a new study led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), researchers grew crystals containing actinium and studied the compound’s atomic structure. While elements often behave similarly to their lighter cousins on the periodic table, the researchers were surprised to find that the actinium behaved differently than predicted by looking at its counterpart, lanthanum.

“There’s a breadth of applications for these elements, from nuclear energy to medicine to national security, but if we don’t know how they behave, that inhibits the progress we can make,” said Jen Wacker, first author of the paper recently published in Nature Communications and a chemist at Berkeley Lab. “We’re seeing that this work is necessary to really understand the complexity of these radioactive elements, because in a lot of cases, using their surrogates is not sufficient to understand their chemistry.”

Joshua Woods and Appie Peterson

Joshua Woods and Appie Peterson measure a small sample of actinium. Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab

Actinium’s Potential in Cancer Therapy

One area of interest is in using an isotope of actinium (actinium-225) in a cancer treatment method called targeted alpha therapy (TAT), which has shown promise in clinical trials. The TAT method uses biological delivery systems such as peptides or antibodies to move the radioactive element to the cancer site. When the actinium decays, it releases energetic particles that travel a short distance, destroying the nearby cancer cells but sparing healthy tissue further away.

“There’s a movement to design better delivery systems to get the actinium to particular cells and keep it there,” said Rebecca Abergel, a UC Berkeley associate professor of nuclear engineering and of chemistry who leads the Heavy Element Chemistry Group at Berkeley Lab. “If we can engineer proteins to bind the actinium with a really high affinity, and either be fused with an antibody or serve as the targeting protein, that would really enable new ways to develop radiopharmaceuticals.”

Rendering of Actinium Binding With Molecules

This rendering shows the structure of how actinium (magenta) binds with other molecules. Red triangles point out how the arrangement differs from actinium’s lighter counterpart, lanthanum (grey). The stick structure of the binding molecule (the ligand) is surrounded by pockets in the protein. Credit: Jen Wacker/Berkeley Lab

Innovative Techniques for Studying Actinium

Researchers used a novel approach to grow the crystals using only 5 micrograms of pure actinium – roughly one tenth the weight of a grain of salt, and invisible to the naked eye. They first purified the actinium through a complex filtration process that removed other elements and chemical impurities. They then bound the actinium to a metal-trapping molecule called a ligand and enveloped the bundle inside of a protein isolated and purified by Roland Strong’s team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, building a “macromolecular scaffold.”

The crystals, grown over a week inside of the Heavy Element Research Laboratory, were then cryocooled in liquid nitrogen and illuminated with X-rays at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS). The X-rays revealed the compound’s 3D structure and showed how actinium interacted with surrounding atoms. It is the first single-crystal X-ray structure reported for actinium

“I’ve been working in crystallography for 40 years and seen a lot of things, and the method the team is using is unique and provides details we couldn’t get in the past,” said Marc Allaire, a scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division and head of the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology team at the ALS. “To the best of my knowledge, Berkeley Lab is the only place in the world where we do this kind of study and measure radioactive protein crystals.”

Anthony Rozales, Joshua Woods, Jen Wacker, and Marc Allaire

(Left to right) Anthony Rozales, Joshua Woods, Jen Wacker, and Marc Allaire at beamline 5.0.2 in the Advanced Light Source. Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab

Future Directions in Actinium Research

In this work, scientists used actinium-227, the longest-lived isotope of the element. Future studies will explore actinium-225 (the preferred isotope for targeted alpha therapy) to look for other changes in how the metal binds. Researchers are also interested in pairing actinium with different proteins to learn more about the structures it forms.

“This is very fundamental science that is part of our core program in understanding the chemistry of heavy elements,” Abergel said. “We’ve achieved a really technically difficult experimental method that pushes the boundaries of isotope chemistry and lets us gain a better understanding of this element. It hopefully will enable us and others to develop better systems that are useful for targeted alpha therapy.”

Reference: “Actinium chelation and crystallization in a macromolecular scaffold” by Jennifer N. Wacker, Joshua J. Woods, Peter B. Rupert, Appie Peterson, Marc Allaire, Wayne W. Lukens, Alyssa N. Gaiser, Stefan G. Minasian, Roland K. Strong and Rebecca J. Abergel, 15 July 2024, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50017-5

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : SciTechDaily – https://scitechdaily.com/125-years-after-its-discovery-actiniums-chemistry-still-baffles-scientists/

Tags: AfterscienceYears
Previous Post

Breakthrough in Anti-Aging: IL-11 Deactivation Boosts Lifespan by 25%

Next Post

New Research Reveals Why You Should Eat More Mackerel and Less Salmon

New approach improves right whale distribution models – EurekAlert!

Breakthrough Technique Dramatically Improves Accuracy of Right Whale Distribution Models

September 18, 2025

Are Six-Figure Tech Careers Disappearing? Why Computer Science Graduates Are Struggling to Find Even Minimum Wage Jobs

September 18, 2025
Scientists reverse stroke damage with stem cells – ScienceDaily

Breakthrough Discovery: Scientists Successfully Reverse Stroke Damage with Stem Cells

September 18, 2025
New statewide SC lifestyle show ‘Palmetto Life Weekend’ to air on WMBF News – WMBF

Discover South Carolina’s Charm: New Lifestyle Show ‘Palmetto Life Weekend’ Premieres Statewide

September 18, 2025
China says US TikTok deal a ‘win-win’, will review app’s technology and IP transfers – Reuters

China Hails US TikTok Deal as a ‘Win-Win’ While Launching Review of App’s Technology and IP Transfers

September 18, 2025

Ireland Contracting Nightly Sports Call: Sept. 17, 2025 – CBS News

September 18, 2025
Trump Designates Antifa ‘Terror Organisation’ Days After Charlie Kirk Murder – NDTV

Trump Designates Antifa ‘Terror Organisation’ Days After Charlie Kirk Murder – NDTV

September 18, 2025
Study: UIS contributes nearly $1 billion to the Illinois economy – NPR Illinois

Study: UIS contributes nearly $1 billion to the Illinois economy – NPR Illinois

September 18, 2025
REO to return for UI homecoming – The News-Gazette

REO Gears Up to Ignite the Stage at UI Homecoming Celebration!

September 18, 2025
WATCH: Former CDC doctor says U.S. is on track to see uptick in preventable diseases under Kennedy – PBS

WATCH: Former CDC Doctor Warns of Rising Preventable Diseases in the U.S

September 18, 2025

Categories

Archives

September 2025
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« Aug    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (825)
  • Economy (844)
  • Entertainment (21,723)
  • General (17,103)
  • Health (9,889)
  • Lifestyle (859)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (849)
  • Politics (854)
  • Science (16,056)
  • Sports (21,344)
  • Technology (15,827)
  • World (828)

Recent News

New approach improves right whale distribution models – EurekAlert!

Breakthrough Technique Dramatically Improves Accuracy of Right Whale Distribution Models

September 18, 2025

Are Six-Figure Tech Careers Disappearing? Why Computer Science Graduates Are Struggling to Find Even Minimum Wage Jobs

September 18, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version