# Auger-electron therapy

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/auger-electron-therapy/  
OnCo record `auger-electron-therapy` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Auger-electron therapy uses radioactive atoms such as iodine-125 or terbium-161 that release cascades of low-energy electrons travelling only nanometres to micrometres, so they kill a cell only if the atom sits on or inside its DNA and spare the neighbours. Terbium-161 can replace lutetium-177 in existing PSMA ligands; true nuclear delivery remains preclinical.

## Summary

Auger emitters such as iodine-125, indium-111 and terbium-161 release cascades of low-energy electrons with nanometre to micrometre range. Delivered into the nucleus they are exquisitely cytotoxic and, unlike alpha emitters, spare neighbouring cells almost entirely. Terbium-161 is closest to clinical use because it can be substituted for lutetium-177 in existing PSMA and somatostatin ligands, with first-in-human work reported; strategies that require true nuclear delivery remain preclinical.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: preclinical
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Tags: frontier; radical
- Principle: Electron-capture or internal-conversion decay releases multiple very low-energy electrons; energy deposition is confined to a few nanometres, so proximity to DNA determines lethality.
- Strengths: Single-cell selectivity, well suited to micrometastases; Minimal crossfire into normal tissue; Terbium-161 slots into existing ligand chemistry
- Limitations: Needs delivery into the nucleus for the pure Auger effect; Isotope supply and short half-lives; Dosimetry models built for beta emitters do not apply

## Sources

- ClinicalTrials.gov: terbium-161: https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=terbium-161

## Connected records

- fronts: [Radiopharmaceuticals & Theranostics](https://onco.cc/fronts/radiopharma/)
- technologies: [Radio-antibody & radio-ADC](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioimmunotherapy/), [Radioligand therapy (beta emitters)](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioligand-therapy/), [Targeted alpha therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/targeted-alpha-therapy/)
- targets: [PSMA](https://onco.cc/targets/psma/), [Somatostatin receptor 2](https://onco.cc/targets/sstr2/)
- terms: [Alpha vs beta emitters](https://onco.cc/terms/alpha-vs-beta/), [Dosimetry](https://onco.cc/terms/dosimetry/)
- roadmaps: [Paths to cures: interception, eradication, control](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/cure-paths/), [Radical oncology: what could change the war by 2035](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/frontier-2035/)

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