Rare earth minerals yield cancer therapy

Chinese scientists have successfully extracted high-purity lead-212 and bismuth-212 radionuclides from rare earth minerals, which could potentially be effective in treating various types of cancer. According to Xinhua News, researchers from South China University isolated these radionuclides, which contain specific numbers of subatomic protons and neutrons, from rare earth minerals.

The scientists noted that the high-purity lead-212 and bismuth-212 radionuclides could be effective in "targeted alpha radionuclide therapy" (TAT) for cancers such as breast, pancreas, and prostate cancer. They also developed an efficient and low-cost method for separating these radionuclides in a halide environment, utilizing a "silica-supported anion resin."

This method is six times faster in adsorption than traditional resins and has significant effects in isolating short-lived radionuclides. Researchers emphasized that this breakthrough is crucial for achieving "self-sufficiency" in the production of critical medical radionuclides in China.

In addition to lead-212 and bismuth-212, the research team is also working on the separation of other radionuclides, such as radium-228, thorium-228, and radium-224.