University of Missouri Begins First In-Person Trial for Breakthrough Nuclear Medicine Device

The University of Missouri has started its first human clinical trial for a new nuclear medicine treatment that could help improve cancer care. The trial is being conducted by the university’s School of Medicine and MU Health Care using a new therapy developed on campus.

The treatment uses Eye90 microspheres, which are tiny glass beads containing a radioactive substance called yttrium-90. These microspheres are used to treat liver cancer by delivering radiation directly to tumors. This targeted treatment helps destroy cancer cells while reducing damage to healthy tissue.

Researchers worked with ABK Biomedical to develop the treatment, and the microspheres were produced at the University of Missouri Research Reactor, which is the only producer of yttrium-90 in the United States. This shows the university’s strong research capabilities, as the entire process from development to clinical trials is being done on one campus.

The clinical trial will study the safety and effectiveness of the treatment in patients with liver tumors that cannot be removed through surgery. Patients will receive a single treatment and will be monitored for one year to evaluate tumor response and quality of life.

Researchers believe this new therapy could become an important treatment option for liver cancer and other metastatic cancers in the future. The trial is part of a larger research effort to bring advanced cancer treatments from the laboratory to real patients more quickly.