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Radioactive copper (64Cu)-enabled theranostic delivery modulates cuproptosis-associated signaling for cancer treatment

delete2026-08-12
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OA
AI
W
Wenyu Song
R
Ruochen Tan
Y
Yuan Feng
X
Xiaoyan Li
S
Sophia J. Lee
J
Jonathan W Engle
W
Weibo Cai *
X
Xiaoli Lan *
X
Xiao Zhang *
DOI:10.1186/s12951-026-04901-5delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Cuproptosis, a unique form of programmed cell death triggered by copper overload and subsequent proteotoxic stress, represents a promising avenue for cancer therapy. Radiotherapy may influence cuproptosis-related pathways in tumors, highlighting the possibility of combining radiotherapy to enhance cuproptosisis. However, how copper delivered in a radioactive form affects these processes remains unclear. Here, we doped radioactive 64Cu into elesclomol (ES-Cu[II]) and encapsulated by an RGD-modified nanoparticle, named ES-64Cu[II] @Nanoparticle-RGD (ES-64Cu@NP). This agent demonstrated high tumor accumulation (7.66 ± 0.93 %ID/g in U87-MG tumors at 4 h) via PET imaging. The internal irradiation from 64Cu upregulated key cuproptosis proteins (FDX1, DLAT), accompanied by increased DNA damage signaling (γ-H2AX) and oxidative stress. This dual-sensitization mechanism resulted in synergistic antitumor efficacy, significantly inhibiting glioblastoma growth and extending median survival to 36 days in murine models, without observable systemic toxicity. These findings indicate that radioactive copper delivery can modulate cuproptosis-associated signaling while enabling PET-guided tracking, supporting this theranostic strategy for investigating copper-dependent stress responses in cancer.
Keywords:
Cuproptosis
Copper-64
Elesclomol
Theranostics
Nanoparticle

Journal

Journal of Nanobiotechnology cover
Journal of Nanobiotechnology
IF:
12.6
Papers:
5.0K
Citations:
2.8W

Organization

D
Department of Medical Physics
Scholars:
101
Papers: 54
Citations: 0
T
tongji medical college
Scholars:
1.8K
Papers: 348
Citations: 0
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