Application of Isotope in Bio-medical Industry

The use of isotope technology can solve some problems that are difficult to solve by traditional methods in biological sciences. The application of isotope in the biomedical industry is becoming more and more extensive, mainly including the following aspects:

Pharmacokinetic research

The study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) is one of the most important research contents in the development of new chemical molecular entities, and it is also an indispensable key part of the drug development evaluation process. Compared with conventional biological sample detection technology, radioisotope labeling and tracing technology has obvious advantages. For example, organisms do not distinguish between labeled and unlabeled drug molecules, and their biological characteristics are consistent. At the same time, radioactive nuclides can release detectable ray signals through decay to quantify and locate substances, which can avoid the interference of biological matrix. Isotope technology can track the metabolic process and pathway of a labeled substance; It can detect the action mechanism and focus position of a drug in the body, such as the main action position of various antibiotics; Check whether some functions in the body are normal or whether lesions occur; Study the function of an organ of a certain species in the organism.

Quantitative analysis

Stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS) can quantitatively analyze biomarkers, drugs and their metabolites, so as to meet the needs of diagnosing a certain disease or understanding the internal process and action mechanism of a drug. The characteristics of ID-LC-MS make it widely concerned by medical researchers. ID-LC-MS selects the analyte labeled with stable isotopes (13C, 15N, 2H, etc.) with the same molecular structure as the internal standard (i.e., diluent), and obtains the absolute amount of the analyte in the sample through accurate mass spectrometry measurement of isotope abundance and accurate weighing with diluent.

Semiconductor detector

Semiconductor detectors include germanium detectors with lithium drift, high-purity germanium detectors, and alloy semiconductor detectors, which have been widely used in medicine. For example, GaAs probe can be used to measure local blood flow in cerebral cortex, and Si(Li) semiconductor probe and telemetry device can be embedded in animals for dynamic observation of organ function; A Ge (Li) semiconductor probe was used to compare the concentration of 87Ga-citric acid and 57Co-bleomycin in tumors. X-ray induced by protons in human liver tissue was analyzed by fluorescence of trace elements with Si(Li) semiconductor probe, and the life of red blood cells labeled with stable isotope 50C was measured by activation analysis and Ge(Li) probe.