Tailoring the Radionuclide Encapsulation and Surface Chemistry of La(223Ra)VO4 Nanoparticles for Targeted Alpha Therapy

The development of targeted alpha therapy (TAT) as a viable cancer treatment requires innovative solutions to challenges associated with radionuclide retention to enhance local tumor cytotoxicity and to minimize off-target effects. Nanoparticles (NPs) with high encapsulation and high retention of radionuclides have shown potential in overcoming these issues. This article shows the influence of pH on the structure of lanthanum vanadate (LaVO4) NPs and its impact on the radiochemical yield of 223Ra and subsequent retention of its decay daughters, 211Pb and 211Bi. An acidic pH (4.9) results in a high fraction of La(223Ra)VO4 NPs with tetragonal structure (44.6–66.1%) and a 223Ra radiochemical yield 80% of La(223Ra)VO4 NPs with monoclinic structure and increases the 223Ra radiochemical yield >85%. The leakage of decay daughters from La(223Ra)VO4 NPs (pH 11) was