Researchers at BC Cancer Research Institute (BCCRI) and UBC Chemistry have created a new way to build radioactive DNA molecules that could help reimagine how radiolabeled drugs are built. Using enzymes that normally copy genetic material, scientists programmed synthetic DNA to carry cancer‑fighting isotopes in precise patterns, opening the door to developing drugs that could both image tumors and destroy them with the same molecule.
The work, a collaboration between Dr. François Bénard, distinguished scientist and senior executive director, research, BC Cancer and Dr. David Perrin, professor at UBC Chemistry, represents a natural progression for new applications in nucleic acid technologies, moving beyond earlier radioactive DNA systems toward medically relevant metals already used in cancer care.
“We’ve essentially repurposed the cell’s DNA‑copying machinery to build radiopharmaceuticals,” says Antonio Wong, PhD candidate at BC Cancer and UBC, and lead author on the project. “The enzymatic process takes less than 10 minutes and provides unprecedented control over how many radioactive atoms go into each molecule and exactly where they are positioned.”
This method harnesses DNA’s natural precision to build theranostic drugs that diagnose and treat disease simultaneously. By modifying DNA’s building blocks with metal‑chelating molecules, researchers can incorporate more than one medically relevant radioisotope into DNA, creating multi‑radiometalated molecules with defined compositions. As Dr. Perrin notes, the work “erases traditional boundaries between DNA chemistry and radiopharmaceutical development,” enabling the incorporation of multiple isotopes for different imaging and therapeutic modalities.
The team synthesized modified DNA letters attached to molecular cages that hold metals such as gallium‑68, indium-111, lutetium‑177, and terbium‑161. These radioactive building blocks are incorporated into DNA strands following a template, meaning the DNA sequence itself dictates which metals go where. Analytical techniques confirmed that metal ratios matched the template precisely.
While the study demonstrates a proof‑of‑principle platform, further pre‑clinical validation is needed. Researchers aim to test how these molecules behave in biological systems and develop them into clinical tools.
“This technology opens up exciting new possibilities for nuclear medicine applications, from diagnosis to treatment,” says Dr. Bénard.
Read the full paper in Angewandte Chemie International Edition here.
This writeup is a shortened version of a UBC Department of Chemistry news article: New Enzymatic Platform Harnesses DNA’s Programmability Towards the Creation of Custom Radiopharmaceuticals